The airway acts as the first defense against inhaled pathogens and particulate matter from the environment. One major way for the airway to clear inhaled foreign objects is through mucociliary clearance (MCC), an important component of the respiratory innate immune defense against lung disease. MCC is characterized by the upward movement of mucus by ciliary motion that requires a balance betwee...

We hypothesized that liquid menisci occlusions may form inside small airways, travel along the airway while losing mass and finally disintegrate into bioaerosols. Spreading of COVID-19 virus is strongly related to number such bioaerosols exhaled by “super-spreaders”. show, employing numerical methods, this can be diminished administering surfactants which lower surface-tension mucus covers airw...

This article presents the development of a biosimilar mucus mixture for assessment of the effect of mucus on drug absorption. The biosimilar mucus was optimized to represent a rheological profile similar to that of porcine intestinal mucus. This was obtained with a mixture of mucin, polyacrylic acid, lipids and BSA. INTRODUCTION The viscoelastic mucus layers covering the epithelial surfaces are...

The ability of E. coli strains to colonize the mouse large intestine has been correlated with their ability to grow in cecal and colonic mucus. In the present study, an E. coli MG1655 strain was mutagenized with a mini-Tn5 Km (kanamycin) transposon, and mutants were tested for the ability to grow on agar plates with mouse cecal mucus as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen. One mutant, design...

Colon has been shown to have a two-layered mucus system where the inner layer is devoid of bacteria. However, a complete overview of the mouse gastrointestinal mucus system is lacking. We now characterize mucus release, thickness, growth over time, adhesive properties, and penetrability to fluorescent beads from stomach to distal colon. Colon displayed spontaneous mucus release and all regions ...

UNLABELLED Antibodies that specifically bind polyethylene glycol (PEG) can lead to rapid elimination of PEGylated therapeutics from the systemic circulation. We have recently shown that virus-binding IgG can immobilize viruses in mucus via multiple low-affinity crosslinks between IgG and mucins. However, it remains unclear whether anti-PEG antibodies in mucus may also alter the penetration and ...

The supramolecular conformation that keeps mucins interconnected in the mucus gel matrix is still uncertain. In the granule, a Ca-bonded matrix keeps mucus condensed. Upon exocytosis, Na/Ca exchange removes Ca bonds, triggering characteristic polymer gel phase transition and massive swelling (1). Failure to remove Ca by increased extracellular Ca inhibits mucus hydration (2). Transepithelial mo...

This paper describes changes in the ultrastructure of the human conjunctiva which follows its denervation. The changes are mainly seen in the mucus-producing subsurface vesicles, the surface microvilli, and the intercellular spaces. Some tentative suggestions are made as to how these changes may influence the stability of the tear film in the anaesthetic state.

This report describes a draft genome sequence of Lactobacillus plantarum 2165. The data demonstrate the presence of a large number of genes responsible for sugar metabolism and the fermentation activity of this bacterium. Different cell surface proteins, including fibronectin and mucus-binding adhesins, may contribute to the beneficial probiotic properties of this strain.