Ectoin shows positive effect on nanoparticle-induced lung inflammation: Study

bitop AG, which specializes in the development and marketing of Ectoin®-containing medical devices, announces that Ectoin® significantly reduces nanoparticle-induced inflammatory reaction in rat lungs, one of the animal models for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is the first time that Ectoin® has been shown to have such an effect on nanoparticle-induced lung inflammation. Current therapy for COPD is treatment with glucocorticoids that, however, have only limited effect on nanoparticle-induced lung inflammation even when inhaled.

Carbon nanoparticles (CNPs), a well-accepted model for the carbonaceous core of combustion-derived nanoparticles, induce lung inflammation in rats by causing an influx of neutrophil granulocytes into the lung epithelium. Ectoin®, given locally with or before the application of nanoparticles, reduced neutophil influx by about 30%. Furthermore, Ectoin® prevented CNP-induced increase in cinc-1 release. Cinc-1 is the rat homologue of human IL-8, a cytokine that mediates CNP induced influx of neutrophil granulocytes. Pretreatment with Ectoin® also reduces CNP-induced release of other major proinflammatory cytokines that play a critical role in the induction of lung fibrosis or in the pathogenic cascade leading to asthma.

The preventive effect of Ectoin® was not observed when lung inflammation was induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Because the mechanism of innate immunity was not compromised, it is not likely that prevention of particle-induced inflammatory reaction by Ectoin® will have a negative impact on host defense mechanisms of the lung.

"Nanoparticles are a major hazard in the ambient air of modern industrialized societies and lung diseases like COPD and asthma occur as a consequence. Our findings suggest that Ectoin® can be used for the development of medical devices to protect individuals against unavoidable environmental nanoparticle-induced inflammatory reaction in the lung," says Dr. Dirk Probst CEO at bitop AG.

Based on this study, which was performed in cooperation with the Environmental Health Research Institute (IUF gGmbH) at the Heinrich Heine University in Duesseldorf, Germany, bitop has performed a clinical study in humans whose outcomes are currently being analyzed.

Ectoin® is a trademark of bitop AG, all rights reserved.

SOURCE bitop AG