EFFECTS OF SEAPROSE ON SPUTUM BIOCHEMICAL-COMPONENTS IN CHRONIC BRONCHITIC PATIENTS - A DOUBLE-BLIND-STUDY VS PLACEBO

Seaprose is a semiaikaline proteinase endowed with proteolytic effect and antiinflammatory activity tested in different clinical trials. The re is clinical evidence that seaprose reduces sputum viscoelastic prop erties in chronic hypersecretory bronchitis. The present study evaluat ed (in a double-blind design vs. placebo) the activity of seaprose on bronchial inflammation, mucus glycoprotein secretion and bronchial hum oral defence mechanism in chronic bronchitic patients clinically stabl e (10 per group). Markers of bronchial inflammation (albumin, albumin/ total protein ratio) and bronchial infection (DNA), of mucus glycoprot eins (fucose and N-acetylneuraminic acid) and of humoral defence mecha nism (secretory-lgA) were tested in sputum. We found that ten-day trea tment with seaprose (90mg/day) reduced sputum albumin during the obser vation period, the difference being statistically significant at the 1 8th day. The sputum albumin/total protein ratio also decreased by 50% at the end of the study. In the same group, sputum DNA, secretory-lgA, fucose and N-acetylneuraminic acid remained unchanged after treatment . The placebo group did not show any significant changes in the sputum marker substances. This study provides experimental evidence for the antiinflammatory activity of seaprose on bronchial mucosa in chronic b ronchitic patients studied in a stable phase of their disease. Further more the drug does not seem to affect mucus glycoprotein secretion or secretory-lgA production.