tiotropium-bromide and Chronic-Disease

Asthma guidelines provide clinicians with evidence-based management strategies for this chronic condition. The preferred therapy for patient with persistent asthma is inhaled corticosteroids. However, ∼40% of the patients with persistent asthma continue to present with symptoms while treated according to the guidelines. Multiple factors are being explored to explain the variability in response to inhaled corticosteroids including asthma phenotype and genetic predisposition among others. The nonatopic asthma phenotype has been described in the literature. These patients tend to have milder symptoms of asthma and typically outgrow their asthma by adolescence. They present with chronic asthma symptoms in the absence of a positive allergy test, either skin prick test or specific immunoglobulin E blood test. Although patients with nonatopic asthma share many characteristics with patients with atopic asthma, there are several studies that suggest a different inflammatory pathway may be involved in their pathophysiology. Therefore, it is possible that children with nonatopic asthma could respond differently to inhaled corticosteroids compared with those with atopic asthma. Currently there is a variable definition of this phenotype. Furthermore, there is a paucity of therapeutic trial directed toward the patients with nonatopic asthma specifically. Future research should be guided toward identifying the inflammatory pathways in nonatopic asthma and potential phenotype-guided therapies.

Topics: Allergy and Immunology; Anti-Asthmatic Agents; Asthma; Bronchi; Child; Chronic Disease; Diagnosis, Differential; Gastroesophageal Reflux; Humans; Mometasone Furoate; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Proton Pump Inhibitors; Respiratory Mucosa; Respiratory Sounds; Tiotropium Bromide; Treatment Outcome

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and associated bronchitis are at higher risk of exacerbations, which are a major cause of morbidity and impaired quality of life. Moreover, exacerbations are associated with more rapid disease progression and higher mortality. The typical symptoms of chronic bronchitis (chronic cough and sputum production) are correlated with inflammatory markers in COPD. Roflumilast is an anti-inflammatory drug belonging to the novel therapeutic class of phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors and is the first drug to be developed for the treatment of a specific COPD phenotype (COPD associated with chronic bronchitis). The results of clinical trials indicate that, in patients with COPD associated with chronic bronchitis and a history of exacerbations, roflumilast improves pulmonary function and reduces the symptoms and frequency of exacerbations requiring medical intervention. This effect is maintained when regular treatment with a long-acting bronchodilator or an inhaled corticosteroid is added.

Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Adrenergic beta-Agonists; Adult; Aged; Albuterol; Aminopyridines; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Benzamides; Bronchitis; Bronchodilator Agents; Chronic Disease; Cyclopropanes; Double-Blind Method; Drug Therapy, Combination; Follow-Up Studies; Forced Expiratory Volume; Humans; Mice; Middle Aged; Multicenter Studies as Topic; Muscarinic Antagonists; Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitors; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Rats; Salmeterol Xinafoate; Scopolamine Derivatives; Tiotropium Bromide; Treatment Outcome; Weight Loss

The prevalence of chronic airways diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma is increasing. They lead to symptoms such as a cough and shortness of breath, partially through bronchoconstriction. Inhaled anticholinergics are one of a number of treatments designed to treat bronchoconstriction in airways disease. Both short-acting and long-acting agents are now available and this review highlights their efficacy and adverse event profile in chronic airways diseases.

Topics: Asthma; Cholinergic Antagonists; Chronic Disease; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Humans; Ipratropium; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Scopolamine Derivatives; Tiotropium Bromide

Tiotropium bromide (Ba 679 BR) is a novel potent and long-lasting muscarinic antagonist that has been developed for the treatment of chronic obstructive airways disease (COPD). Binding studies with [3H]tiotropium bromide in human lung have confirmed that this is a potent muscarinic antagonist with equal affinity for M1-, M2- and M3-receptors and is approximately 10-fold more potent than ipratropium bromide. Tiotropium bromide dissociates very slowly from lung muscarinic receptors compared with ipratropium bromide. In vitro tiotropium bromide has a potent inhibitory effect against cholinergic nerve-induced contraction of guinea-pig and human airways, that has a slower onset than atropine or ipratropium bromide. After washout, however, tiotropium bromide dissociates extremely slowly compared with the dissociation of atropine and ipratropium bromide. Measurement of acetylcholine (ACh) release from guinea-pig trachea shows that tiotropium bromide, ipratropium bromide and atropine all increase ACh release on neural stimulation and that this effect is washed out equally quickly for the three antagonists. This confirms binding studies to transfected human muscarinic receptors which suggested that tiotropium bromide dissociates slowly from M3-receptors (on airway smooth muscle) but rapidly from M2 autoreceptors (on cholinergic nerve terminals). Clinical studies with inhaled tiotropium bromide confirm that it is a potent and long-lasting bronchodilator in COPD and asthma. Furthermore, it protects against cholinergic bronchoconstriction for > 24 h. This suggests that tiotropium bromide will be a useful bronchodilator, particularly in patients with COPD, and may be suitable for daily dosing. The selectivity for M3- over M2-receptors may also confer a clinical advantage.

Topics: Acetylcholine; Animals; Bronchodilator Agents; Chronic Disease; Guinea Pigs; Humans; Ipratropium; Lung; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Muscarinic Antagonists; Receptors, Muscarinic; Scopolamine Derivatives; Tiotropium Bromide

The long-acting anticholinergic tiotropium has recently been registered for the treatment of asthma, and its use is associated with a reduction in exacerbation frequency. Anti-inflammatory and anti-remodeling effects of tiotropium have been demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo models. Because tiotropium treatment is used in combination with inhaled corticosteroids, potential additive effects between the two would be clinically relevant. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate additive effects between tiotropium and ciclesonide on airway inflammation and remodeling in guinea pig models of asthma.. Guinea pigs (n = 3-8/group) were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin in an acute (single challenge) and a chronic model (12 weekly challenges) of allergic asthma. Animals were treated with vehicle, nebulized tiotropium (0.01-0.3 mM) and/or intranasally instilled ciclesonide (0.001-1 mg/kg) before each challenge. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lungs were collected for analysis of airway inflammation and remodeling.. Tiotropium and ciclesonide treatment, alone or in combination, did not inhibit airway inflammation in the acute asthma model. In a dose-finding study, low doses of tiotropium and ciclesonide inhibited airway eosinophilia and airway smooth muscle thickening in the chronic asthma model. Threshold doses of 0.01 mM tiotropium (nebulizer concentration) and 0.01 mg/kg ciclesonide were selected to investigate potential additive effects between both drugs. At these doses, tiotropium and ciclesonide did not inhibit airway eosinophilia or airway smooth muscle thickening when administered alone, but significantly inhibited these allergen-induced responses when administered in combination.. Combined treatment with low doses of tiotropium and ciclesonide inhibits airway inflammation and remodeling in a guinea pig model of chronic asthma, suggesting that combined treatment with anticholinergics and corticosteroids may have anti-inflammatory and anti-remodeling activity in allergic airway diseases. Since tiotropium is registered as a therapy for asthma added on to corticosteroid treatment, these beneficial effects of the combination therapy may be clinically relevant.

Topics: Administration, Inhalation; Airway Remodeling; Animals; Anti-Allergic Agents; Asthma; Bronchodilator Agents; Chronic Disease; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Therapy, Combination; Guinea Pigs; Male; Ovalbumin; Pregnenediones; Tiotropium Bromide; Treatment Outcome

Topics: Adolescent; Asthma; Bronchodilator Agents; Child; Chronic Disease; Cough; Female; Humans; Male; Scopolamine Derivatives; Tiotropium Bromide

Recent evidence suggests that acetylcholine acting through muscarinic receptors may play an inhibitory role in the mechanisms that drive the structural changes in the airways called airway remodeling. The novel anticholinergic drug tiotropium bromide, which selectively antagonizes muscarinic receptors, especially the M3 subtype, and is long acting, could be beneficial in attenuating airway remodeling in chronic asthma.. To investigate the effect of tiotropium bromide on parameters of airway remodeling, including smooth muscle hypertrophy and peribronchial thickening, in a mouse model of chronic asthma.. To develop the murine models of acute and chronic asthma, BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged to ovalbumin for 1 and 3 months, respectively. The effect of tiotropium bromide (0.1mM in 50 μL of phosphate-buffered saline) on pulmonary inflammation and remodeling was evaluated. The expression of muscarinic receptors M2 and M3 was analyzed.. In the chronic asthma model, the tiotropium-treated group significantly decreased smooth muscle thickening and peribronchial collagen deposition. As for pulmonary inflammation, the chronic asthma model had a reduction of inflammatory cells and T(H)2 cytokines by tiotropium bromide, but the effects in the asthma acute model were reversed. In the chronic asthma model, expression of the M3 receptor was inhibited and that of the M2 receptor was elevated by the administration of tiotropium bromide.. This study suggests that tiotropium bromide might have an inhibitory effect on airway remodeling in a murine model of chronic asthma. Differential effects on muscarinic receptor subtypes may explain why tiotropium bromide has different effects on acute and chronic asthma.

Topics: Acetylcholine; Acute Disease; Airway Remodeling; Animals; Asthma; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Cholinergic Antagonists; Chronic Disease; Cytokines; Disease Models, Animal; Eosinophils; Female; Macrophages; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Muscle, Smooth; Neutrophils; Ovalbumin; Pneumonia; Receptor, Muscarinic M2; Receptor, Muscarinic M3; Scopolamine Derivatives; Th2 Cells; Tiotropium Bromide

Gastro-oesophageal reflux is frequent in chronic airway diseases and is considered a trigger for symptoms. In animal models, bilateral vagotomy or muscarinic antagonists prevent the increase in airway resistance and the microvascular leakage induced by acute oesophageal acid instillation. The present study investigates lung inflammation and remodelling in an animal model of chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), and the effectiveness of pretreatments with tiotropium, atropine and dexamethasone. Mice were exposed to twice-daily intra-oesophageal HCl instillations for 21 days. Exposure to HCl causes: marked infiltration by inflammatory cells of the airways and of peribronchial areas; an increase in epithelial thickness; histological features of interstitial pneumonitis; an increase in cell numbers and in the levels of interleukin-8; and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, as well as of in vitro tracheal contractility. The administration of nebulised tiotropium or intraperitoneal atropine prior to each instillation of HCl, considerably inhibited all these changes. These results indicate a major role of acetylcholine in airway inflammation and remodelling in a GORD model, and demonstrate that tiotropium and atropine can prevent lung inflammation with an effectiveness similar to intraperitoneal dexamethasone, providing additional evidence that anticholinergics might contribute to the control of inflammatory processes in airway diseases.

Topics: Acetylcholine; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Atropine; Biopsy; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Bronchodilator Agents; Chronic Disease; Dexamethasone; Disease Models, Animal; Esophagitis; Gastroesophageal Reflux; Hydrochloric Acid; Lung; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Muscle, Smooth; Pneumonia; Scopolamine Derivatives; Tiotropium Bromide; Trachea

Low-dose, long-term macrolide therapy has been shown to be effective for the treatment of diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) and similar disorders in terms of the presence of airway mucus hypersecretion such as bronchiectasis, chronic bronchitis and sinobronchial syndrome. However, there are some patients, especially advanced cases, whose volume of sputum does not decrease sufficiently with macrolide therapy. These patients suffer from copious expectoration. There is currently no effective treatment, and an effective therapy is therefore urgently required. The aim of this study was to clarify whether or not the inhalation of tiotropium improves the symptoms in these cases.. Tiotropium (18 microg/day) was administered to patients with DPB and similar disorders with airway mucus hypersecretion who did not respond to macrolide. The symptoms were evaluated by a visual analog scale (VAS) prior to and at 1 and 3 months after tiotropium administration. Radiological and pulmonary function tests were also performed to evaluate the effects of tiotropium.. Thirteen patients (DPB 5, sinobronchial syndrome 5, bronchiectasis 3) were enrolled. The VAS scores were dramatically improved after the introduction of tiotropium. FEV(1) was significantly improved after 3 months of treatment with tiotropium. In contrast, the radiological findings remained unchanged.. Tiotropium improved the symptoms of cough, sputum and breathlessness in the macrolide-resistant cases of DPB or similar disorders. These beneficial effects might be due to the suppression of airway secretion through the anticholinergic effect of tiotropium on the submucosal gland, however, the long-term efficiency of this treatment still needs to be further assessed.

Topics: Administration, Inhalation; Adult; Aged; Bronchitis; Chronic Disease; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Female; Humans; Macrolides; Male; Middle Aged; Mucus; Pilot Projects; Prospective Studies; Scopolamine Derivatives; Tiotropium Bromide