Effect of expectorants on relaxation behavior of sputum viscoelasticity in vivo

Antitussive Drugs—Past, Present, and Future

“…Vasicine has been used in India for centuries as an expectorant and antitussive. Bromhexine and its metabolite ambroxol are widely used as secretolytics, inducing hydrolytic depolymerization of mucoprotein fibers and for their ability to modulate the activity of mucus-secreting cells (Shimura et al, 1983). Hamilton et al (1970) compared bromhexine and placebo in 22 hospitalized patients with bronchitis with mucoid sputum.…”

Management of Plastic Bronchitis Using α-Chymotrypsin: A Novel Treatment Modality

“…However, casts are sometimes sticky and brittle, and this impedes their extraction. Under these circumstances, adjuvant therapies, combined with bronchoscopy, are administered for cast removal [6,12]. Hypertonic saline, hyaluronic acid, and recombinant human deoxyribonucleases are common selections for adjuvant therapies in anecdotal cases [6,13].…”

“…α-Chymotrypsin has been widely used to accelerate the repair of traumatic injuries, burns, and to alleviate sciatica because of its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, fibrinolytic, anti-edematous, and antiinfective properties [11]. Clinically, it is also used to liquefy the mucus and decrease the viscosity of sputum due to its direct mucolytic effect [12]. Recently, a PB patient admitted to our hospital had no significant clinical improvement after being given timely treatment including bronchoscopy, antibiotics, antiinflammatory, nebulized bronchodilators, intensive chest physiotherapy, and intravenous mucosolvan.…”

A reappraisal of the mucoactive activity and clinical efficacy of bromhexine

“…The effects of various drugs, including BHC, on sputum viscoeleasticity in 40 adults with chronic pulmonary diseases (excluding asthma) were investigated by Shimura et al [20]. Patients were allocated into 5 groups: a control group, a BHC group (24 mg/day), an ambroxol group (90 mg/day); an α-chymotrypsin group (100 cu.u/day administered total cavity) and a serratiopeptidase group (30 mg/day).…”