Thorax
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
In vivo effects of recombinant human DNase I on sputum in patients with cystic fibrosis.
Viscoelastic secretions in cystic fibrosis cause impaired mucus clearance and persistence of bacteria within the lung. The abnormal rheology is partly due to the presence of high molecular weight deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Recombinant human DNase I (rhDNase) has been shown to depolymerise DNA and thereby reduce the in vitro viscoelasticity of sputum in patients with cystic fibrosis. A phase II double blind placebo controlled study showed that rhDNase improved pulmonary function in patients with cystic fibrosis. The object of the present study was to evaluate the in vivo effects of rhDNase on sputum rheology and to determine whether these were correlated with changes in pulmonary function. ⋯ Patients with cystic fibrosis treated with rhDNase show an improvement in rheological properties and pulmonary function, one of the mechanisms being a reduction in the proportion of high molecular weight DNA.