Researchers Explain why Asthma, Pneumonia Drugs Become Ineffective Over Time

Drugs used to treat asthma and pneumonia tend to work with the body's clock, a new study has found. The research explains why these drugs become ineffective over time.

Both asthma and pneumonia cause inflammation of the lung airways. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Manchester, found that cells lining the lung airways have their own body clocks, which regulate lung inflammation as well as entry of immune cells into lung tissue, according to The Conversation.

In the new study, researchers found that loss of these cells results in more severe inflammation and as a consequence, worse symptoms.

"We found a key molecule known as CXCL5 that facilitates lung inflammation which is a key regulator of how immune cells get into tissues. The loss of CXCL5 completely prevents the time of day regulation of lung inflammation which opens up new ways to treat lung diseases," said Andrew Loudon from the University of Manchester, according to a news release.

According to researchers, CXCL5, along with glucocorticoid hormones are critical in controlling lung's circadian rhythm. Loss of CXCL5 disrupts the body clock and results in severe lung inflammation, which in turn makes regular treatment ineffective.

"In this work we define a major circadian control on lung inflammation which affects responses to bacterial infection, or pneumonia. We know that many lung diseases indeed show a strong time of day effect, including asthma, and deaths from pneumonia," Loudon said in a news release.

Several mechanisms in the body are based on circadian rhythm. The research explains why adjusting to shift work is difficult and why people working at night have increased risk of chronic health problems.

The study is published in the journal Nature Medicine.

In the U.S., about 25 million people suffer from asthma, of which at least 7 million are children, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute