PubMed · 14807951
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W G SEARS. 1951. Linctuses.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14807951/
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The term "mucoactive agent" refers to any medication used to improve the clearance of airway secretions. It is not synonymous with the word "mucolytic" as this strictly means a drug that decreases the viscosity of secretions. In many cases, decreased viscosity will adversely affect cough transport. For this reason many of the older mucolytic agents such as acetylcysteine are not effective for the therapy of lung disease and their use is not recommended. I review here the many classes of mucoactive agents and identify a number of medications with great promise for the treatment of chronic airway disease.
It has been established that mucus hypersecretion and decreased mucus clearance contribute to the morbidity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Indeed, the classic definition of chronic bronchitis relies on determining the frequency and duration of sputum expectoration. Despite the well recognized importance of this symptom, there are few therapies routinely used to decrease the sputum production or to improve clearance. There are fewer well conducted clinical trials of existing medications and this has led many regulatory agencies, notably the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to refuse to register these medications or approve their sale. Similarly, airway clearance devices and chest physical therapy have not been well studied in COPD. Carefully conducted studies of interventions to improve airway clearance, similar to those done in cystic fibrosis (CF), may help us to identify effective therapies and possibly novel diagnostic tests for the management of COPD.
Cigarette smoking can cause a variety of pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases like: bronchitis, emphysema, myocardial infraction as well as lung cancer. The tar phase precipitates in the respiratory tract, inactivating the ciliated epithelium and inhibiting the self-cleaning of bronchia. Herbal remedies increase mucosa secretion and hence facilitate coughing up the secrete residual. The action of expectorant herbs results primarily from their influence on the gastric mucosa and following a reflex stimulation which leads to an increase in secretion of the bronchial glands. Volatile-oil type expectorant herbs have shown a direct stimulatory effect on the bronchial glands by means of local irritation, accompanied with antibacterial and spasmolytic activity. Expectorant herbs containing saponins function reduce the surface tension of the secretions facilitating their separation from the mucous membranes.