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nanotimes
Companies Facts
b
itop AG, Germany, which specializes in the development and marketing of Ectoin®
-
containing medical devices, announces that Ectoin® significantly reduces nanoparticle-induced in- flammatory reaction in rat lungs, one of the animal models for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is the first time that Ectoin®
has been
shown to have such an effect on nanoparticle-indu- ced lung inflammation. Current therapy for COPD is treatment with glucocorticoids that, however, have only limited effect on nanoparticle-induced lung
inflammation even when inhaled. Carbon nanopar- ticles (CNPs), a well-accepted model for the carbo- naceous core of combustion-derived nanoparticles, induce lung inflammation in rats by causing an influx of neutrophil granulocytes into the lung epithelium. Ectoin®
, given locally with or before the application
of nanoparticles, reduced neutophil influx by about 30%. Furthermore, it prevented CNP-induced incre- ase in cinc-1 release. http://www.bitop.de
10-05/06 :: May/June 2010
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