To Treehugger!!!
That is so cool that is where they have been doing a lot of the research about a synthetic chloride channel....I was just about to post this study from there.
Chaggie-
They believe that yes, it is happening. Earlier studies proved that synthetic chloride channels could restore gutathione efflux in cf... many scientist site this study. I will let you know more as I know more...I have a meeting with one of the scientists (not cf doc) very soon so I can tell you all the things they are seeing in lung lining.
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2001 Jul;281(1):L24-30. Links
Synthetic chloride channel restores glutathione secretion in cystic fibrosis airway epithelia.
Gao L, Broughman JR, Iwamoto T, Tomich JM, Venglarik CJ, Forman HJ.
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA.
Cystic fibrosis (CF), an inherited disease characterized by defective epithelial Cl- transport, damages lungs via chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Glutathione, a major antioxidant in the epithelial lung lining fluid, is decreased in the apical fluid of CF airway epithelia due to reduced glutathione efflux (Gao L, Kim KJ, Yankaskas JR, and Forman HJ. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 277: L113-L118, 1999). The present study examined the question of whether restoration of chloride transport would also restore glutathione secretion. We found that a Cl- channel-forming peptide (N-K4-M2GlyR) and a K+ channel activator (chlorzoxazone) increased Cl- secretion, measured as bumetanide-sensitive short-circuit current, and glutathione efflux, measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, in a human CF airway epithelial cell line (CFT1). Addition of the peptide alone increased glutathione secretion (181 +/- 8% of the control value), whereas chlorzoxazone alone did not significantly affect glutathione efflux; however, chlorzoxazone potentiated the effect of the peptide on glutathione release (359 +/- 16% of the control value). <b>These studies demonstrate that glutathione efflux is associated with apical chloride secretion, not with the CF transmembrane conductance regulator per se, and the defect of glutathione efflux in CF can be overcome pharmacologically.</b>