Australia
Researchers may have found the key to preventing cigarette-related lung inflammation that leads to a host of lung diseases including emphysema. Scientists at the University of Melbourne demonstrated that by blocking a certain protein they could severely reduce the inflammation in mice exposed to cigarette smoke and lower their risk for disease.
Normally, inhalation of smoke causes the release of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which when blocked stops the growth of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cells and other cells responsible for other lung diseases.
The study exposed mice to the equivalent of nine cigarettes of smoke for four days, afterwards examining the status of their lungs. The researchers found that those mice treated with an anti-GM-CSF agent wound up with markedly less COPD cells. Furthermore, it inhibited the release of matrix metalloproteinase-12, which destroys tissue in the lungs and leads to emphysema.
These preliminary results would indicate that mice treated with blocker would have a far lower chance of contracting these diseases if exposed to smoke in the long term.
No doubt this will come as cheery news to mice that smoke.
