Hypertonic Saline in Treatment of Pulmonary Disease in Cystic Fibrosis
Figure 2
Mucus properties in the CF lung. (a) Mucus in a healthy lung is made up of a network of mucin filaments consisting of highly glycosylated mucin monomers that are crosslinked by disulphide bonds. Mucin filaments are bound together by noncovalent bonds (red dotted lines) such as van der Waals forces. (b) In the CF airways, mucus viscosity is increased by DNA and actin (red) that are released from necrotic neutrophils and aggregate into bundles. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs, depicted in brown) which are important for regulation of cell interactions have been found to be upregulated and altered in CF. Adapted from Rogers (2007) [26].
