哮喘联盟

   摘要
   任何人在不同时间都有可能咳嗽，其经济负担是巨大的。尽管有这些广泛的负面影响，有关咳嗽的研究主要依靠动物模型，这阻碍了我们对于咳嗽的基本原因的研究。后鼻滴注被推测为慢性咳嗽的最常见原因之一；然而，这一观点有争议。在此我们表明后鼻滴注的机械刺激引起慢性咳嗽。我们通过气流模式将人类的咳嗽与喷嚏和呼气反应区别开来。呼气气流中，咳嗽和喷嚏分别显示出单峰和双峰模式，这也在咳嗽和喷嚏的动物模型中得以确认。纤毛运动障碍的转基因小鼠表现出剧烈咳嗽，并在咽部有后鼻滴注；而且，他们的咳嗽可以经鼻气道阻断后鼻滴注而完全抑制。我们成功地通过在野生型小鼠中注射人工后鼻滴注而重现咳嗽。 这些结果证明后鼻滴注的机械刺激会引起咳嗽。我们研究的这些发现可以因此用于开发抑制咳嗽根本原因的新型止咳药物。

 

（苏欣 审校）
PLoS One. 2015 Nov 18;10(11):e0141823. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141823. eCollection 2015.
 

Mechanical Stimulation by Postnasal Drip Evokes Cough.
 

Iwata T1, Ito I1, Niimi A1,2, Ikegami K3, Marumo S1, Tanabe N1, Nakaji H1, Kanemitsu Y1, Matsumoto H1, Kamei J4, Setou M3, Mishima M1.
 

Abstract
Cough affects all individuals at different times, and its economic burden is substantial. Despite these widespread adverse effects, cough research relies on animal models, which hampers our understanding of the fundamental cause of cough. Postnasal drip is speculated to be one of the most frequent causes of chronic cough; however, this is a matter of debate. Here we show that mechanical stimuli by postnasal drip cause chronic cough. We distinguished human cough from sneezes and expiration reflexes by airflow patterns. Cough and sneeze exhibited one-peak and two-peak patterns, respectively, in expiratory airflow, which were also confirmed by animal models of cough and sneeze. Transgenic mice with ciliary dyskinesia coughed substantially and showed postnasal drip in the pharynx; furthermore, their cough was completely inhibited by nasal airway blockade of postnasal drip. We successfully reproduced cough observed in these mice by injecting artificial postnasal drip in wild-type mice. These results demonstrated that mechanical stimulation by postnasal drip evoked cough. The findings of our study can therefore be used to develop new antitussive drugs that prevent the root cause of cough.
 

PLoS One. 2015 Nov 18;10(11):e0141823. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141823. eCollection 2015.