Mucus is an integral part of the tear film with functions including the anchoring of the aqueous components and stabilising their contact with the cornea by rendering structural support to the microplicae, having potential involvement in apoptotic and cell mediating activity as well as combatting pathogens and foreign bodies.1 Ocular mucus helps maintain the wettability of the ocular surface an...

Off the coast of Vietnam, two recent events seem to have contributed death coral reefs: rapid invasion a small marine snail called Drupella, and emergence disease that spreads over corals. We decided investigate whether there is link between corals, snails, disease. analyzed mucus covering surface both in healthy corals those infested by Drupella snails. Mucus produced usually full helpful micr...

To maintain health and function in response to inhaled environmental irritants and toxins, the lungs and airways depend upon an innate defense system that involves the secretion of mucus (i.e., mucin, salts, and water) by airway epithelium onto the apical surface to trap foreign particles. Airway mucus is then transported in an oral direction via ciliary beating and coughing, which helps to kee...

Cell surface carbohydrates play important roles in cell recognition mechanisms. Recently, we provided evidence that particle selection by suspension-feeding bivalves can be mediated by interactions between carbohydrates associated with the particle surface and lectins present in mucus covering bivalve feeding organs. In this study, we used lectins tagged with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) t...

We examined the effects of the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), including the possible participation of nitric oxide (NO), on mucin biosynthesis in the surface epithelium and remaining deep mucosa as well as the entire mucosa and compared the distribution of CGRP and NO synthase (NOS) using a combination of double immunofluorescence labeling and multiple dye filter. Pieces of tissue obta...

In the oligotrophic marine environment there are ecological niches rich in nutrients and diverse in bacterial populations. One such niche is the coral surface mucus layer. Interactions amongst microorganisms found in coral mucus may be symbiotic or competitive; competing over space and food. It has been hypothesized that the microbial communities found on the coral surface may play a role in th...

The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of the formation of the widespread mucous-plugging observed in autopsied lungs from patients with bronchial asthma. We performed morphometric analysis of airways of autopsied lungs from eight patients with bronchial asthma (Group BA), and compared it with those of six chronic bronchitics (Group CB) and four control patients (Control). The fol...

The mucociliary transport system plays an important role in the clearance of excessive mucus and inhaled foreign materials from the respiratory tract. Airway epithelium’s ciliary structure is a part of the natural defense system that protects the respiratory system by propelling debris laden mucus. The mucus flow is generated by the vigorous asymmetric beating of the cilia, which can be named a...

Mucus in the gastrointestinal tract remains a tenacious barrier that restricts the passage of many orally administered compounds into the GIT's epithelial layer and consequently into the systemic circulation. This results in significant decreases in the oral bioavailability of many therapeutic molecules. Nanoparticles offer an avenue to surpass this mucus barrier. They can be used as drug carri...

We have previously shown that a decreased level of phosphatidylglycerol in cystic fibrosis (CF) respiratory mucus is partly responsible for its marked adhesiveness and stickiness, which impair mucus transport, and that distearoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DSPG) was the most efficient form of phosphatidylglycerol in the enhancement of respiratory mucus clearance. The aim of our study was to analyse ...