Plastic Bronchitis
Plastic bronchitis is a rare disease with common and persistent symptoms that can lead to severe respiratory complications such as respiratory failure and death. As pioneers leading the vanguard in rare disease research, we are armed with a cohort of professionals and cutting-edge technology, which can support your research on diseases like plastic bronchitis.
Introduction to Plastic Bronchitis
Plastic bronchitis, also known by its aliases, Hoffman's bronchitis or cast bronchitis. This rare respiratory disease is caused by the formation of intrabronchial branching patterns, which lead to an obstruction of the distal and intermediate airways. Plastic bronchitis consists of two tube types: Type I and Type II, and the individual's common appearances expectoration, dyspnea, fever, or pleurisy chest pain.
Fig.1 Chest CT findings of plastic bronchitis individual. (Murashita, M., et al., 2023)Pathogenesis of Plastic Bronchitis
The pathogenesis of plastic bronchitis involves a cast of triggers that include inflammation, lymphatic anomalies, airway remodeling, or a combination of these elements. The main mechanism of plastic bronchitis formation is the large-scale airway viscous secretions stimulated by inflammation, leaks of lymph into the airway triggered by lymphatic abnormalities, and a decrease in airway cleaning ability. It has been reported that the following causes and diseases are associated with plastic bronchitis and tube formation.
- Primary or secondary lymphatic abnormalities
- Viral infections
- Malignancy
- Haematologic conditions
- Bacterial infectious processes
- Occupational exposure
Therapeutics of Plastic Bronchitis
Some small-molecule drugs have been used aimed at preventing cast formation through the reduction of bronchial inflammation and mucus production, such as steroids, bronchodilators, and mucolytics.
Corticosteroids and macrolide antibiotics like azithromycin bring forth appreciable anti-inflammatory effects—these lower the formation of inflammatory casts and provide relief for individuals.
As a mucus solubilizer, α-Chymotrypsin directly acts on mucus to liquefy mucus and reduce the viscosity of sputum, which is beneficial to casts that were successfully removed.
In addition, mTOR pathway inhibitors, such as sirolimus, and plasminogen activators (urokinase and tPA), have proven instrumental in reducing cast size and pulmonary obstruction.
Our Services
Our company is committed to providing researchers with a series of services for plastic bronchitis research. From animal model development to advanced therapeutic platform development, we are here to promote your pathogenesis research and evaluation of new therapies.
Platforms of Plastic Bronchitis Therapy Development
Animal Models of Plastic Bronchitis
Animal models contribute to a better understanding of plastic bronchitis and the development of effective therapeutics. Our company is equipped to offer you types of animal models such as chemically induced or genetically engineered animal models, to support your research of plastic bronchitis.
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| Inhalation of sulfur mustard (SM) and SM analog, 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES) in animals leads to the formation of fibrin casts to produce extensive cast formation. | ||
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| Allergen-induced Models | ||
| By exposing allergenic substances (such as ovalbumin and house dustmite, etc.) to animal skin or respiratory tract, animals can produce allergic reactions to these substances, thus triggering the phenotype of plastic bronchitis. | ||
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| Genetically Engineered Models | ||
| This model knocks out or adds one or several disease-related genes through gene editing technology, thereby triggering the phenotype of plastic bronchitis. | ||
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| Optional Species | Mice, Rats, Rabbit, Non-Human Primates, Others | |
In addition to animal models, we also offer a prolific array of services tailored to support your pharmacokinetics analysis and drug safety evaluation. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us for more details and quotation information of related services.
References
- Patel, Niel et al. "Plastic Bronchitis in Adult and Pediatric Patients: A Review of its Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment." Missouri medicine 118.4 (2021): 363-373.
- Murashita, Mone et al. "A case of plastic bronchitis with a remarkable response to steroids." Respiratory medicine case reports 43 (2023): 101850.
All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.