http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3329103.stm
Last Updated: Monday, 22 December, 2003, 00:47 GMT
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Vitamin may cure smoking disease
Smoking can cause emphysema
A form of vitamin A could one day provide the basis for a cure for the smoking
disease emphysema.
British researchers have found that retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A,
can cure the disease in mice.
Writing in the European Respiratory Journal, they said it reverses damage done
to tiny air sacs in the lungs.
There is currently no cure for emphysema. The disease causes progressive damage
to the lungs and can eventually kill.
Breathing problems
Emphysema usually affects older people. It is generally the result of long-term
damage to the lungs, such as a lifetime of smoking. It can also affect people
working in certain industries such as mining.
The disease can start as mild breathlessness. However, over time it can leave
sufferers struggling to breathe and reliant on oxygen.
This is a relatively simple compound to take. It is already use to treat
severe acne
Professor Malcolm Maden
It occurs when the tiny air sacs in the lungs called alveoli, through which
oxygen is absorbed into the bloodstream, lose their natural elasticity.
This means spent air is pushed back out into the lungs. The lungs feel overfull
and it is a struggle for sufferers to push air in and out.
This eventually means that the body is not getting enough oxygen, leading to
fatigue and weight loss.
Scientists believe that if they can return the tiny air sacs in the lungs to
their former healthy state they can cure the disease.
This latest study by Professor Malcolm Maden and colleagues at the Medical
Research Council's Centre for Developmental Neurobiology at King's College
London raises hopes that a cure can one day be found.
The researchers bred mice with all the hallmarks of emphysema. The mice had
been given a chemical soon after birth, which prevented the tiny air sacs in
the lungs from developing properly.
By the time these mice were adults they had serious breathing problems and
their lungs were unable to exchange gases effectively.
When these mice were given retinoic acid, the number and size of the tiny air
sacs in the lungs returned to normal. Their lungs exchanged gases more
effectively and they were able to breathe more easily.
Triggers genes
The researchers believe that retinoic acid triggers key genes into action,
enabling the tiny air sacs to recover.
While further studies are needed, this research raises hopes that retinoic acid
could form the basis of a cure for emphysema.
Professor Maden said it could also provide the basis for a treatment for the
severe lung disease COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
"This would be quite significant," he told BBC News Online. "Incidence of
emphysema and COPD are rocketing world-wide.
"This is a relatively simple compound to take. It is already used to treat
severe acne.
"Being able to cure these conditions would be quite significant."
Who loves ya.
Tom
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