Effects of fudosteine, a new mucoactive drug, on the increase in mucus secretion produced by secretagogues in human pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma cells

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of fudosteine ((—)-(R)-2-amino-3-(3-hydroxypropylthio)propionic acid), a new mucoactive drug, on mucus secretion in the human pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma cell line NCI-H292. NCI-H292 cells produced hyaluronidase-resistant high-molecular-weight glycoconjugates (HMWG), which were eluted in the void volume on Superose 6HR column chromatography. ATP, bradykinin, and methacholine increased the basal secretion of [14C]glucosamine-labelled HMWG in NCI-H292 cells. Fudosteine significantly suppressed the HMWG secretion induced by ATP or bradykinin, but not that induced by methacholine. Other mucoactive drugs, such as ethylcysteine, ambroxol and carboxymethylcysteine, did not affect the increase in HMWG. These results indicate that fudosteine suppresses the mucin secretion induced by ATP and bradykinin in airway mucus-producing cancer cells.