By IANS
New York : A new study has identified an enzyme released in the lungs that appears to play a role in tightening airways – a hallmark of asthma.
The study, by researchers at the Weill Cornell Medical College, on the enzyme renin, released by mast cells in the lungs, points to a potential new target for treatment against asthma.
Findings of the study have been published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Mast cells are present in small numbers in all organs, and are known for their role in allergy, shock, wound healing and defence against pathogens.
The Cornell study found that the enzyme renin in turn produces angiotensin – which actually constricts the smooth muscle that lines airways.
“Back in 2005, our team was the first to discover that mast cells in the heart released rennin locally, which elicited heart arrhythmias by triggering angiotensin production within the heart,” explained co-senior author of the study Roberto Levi.
“Now, we’ve expanded those findings to the lungs, where similar mechanisms appear to work locally to help trigger constriction in the airways,” he said.
“In the heart and now the lungs, this localised production of renin appears to have a profound effect on nearby tissues,” said co-senior author Randi Silver.
“More study is needed, of course, but our finding suggests that drugs that target renin might prove effective agents in dampening asthma or other respiratory diseases,” she said.
“These types of ‘renin inhibitors’ are, in fact, currently being developed by the pharmaceutical industry.”