New Study Suggests Drug Therapy to Block Sestrin Could Improve Lung Elasticity

A recent study published in Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM) suggests that the antioxidant protein sestrin is capable of triggering the molecular pathways that induce some of the critical lung changes associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including loss of elasticity.

The report, titled Inactivation of sestrin 2 induces TGF-beta signalling and partially rescues pulmonary emphysema in a mouse model of COPD, suggests that genetically inactivating the protein can improve the elastic features of the lung.

So far, the study has only been conducted in a mouse model of emphysema. But if the findings are eventually replicated in human studies, they could change the face of CPOD treatment.

The study’s authors believe that by inhibiting sestrin, the accelerated degradation of elastic fibers within the lung can be prevented. This would suggest that drug therapy that blocks the sestrin function could improve lung elasticity and subsequent breathing. Full Story