Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: Effect of Losartan on Airway Mucociliary Dysfunction in Patients With COPD and Chronic Bronchitis
Brief Summary:
This is a proof of concept, open label protocol to evaluate the effect of losartan on cigarette smoke-induced lung injury in smokers, ex-smokers with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), giving 50 mg and subsequently 100 mg losartan for 4 weeks
Aim: To test that inhibition of T-cell growth factor (TGF-ß) with losartan in ex-smokers with COPD and active and passive smokers without COPD will lead to an increase chloride conductance through calcium-activated chloride channel (CACC), as measured by nasal potential difference (NPD).
Study design: The Investigators will assess the consequences of active and passive smoking and the treatment with losartan on CaCC-mediated chloride conductance in human beings using NPD measurements.
NPD is a direct measure of ion transport. It measures CaCC-mediated Cl- secretion and thus serves as an indirect measure of voltage-dependent potassium (BK) channels function. In addition, improvement of NPD measured ion transport was indirectly linked to lung function improvements and clearance in trials with cystic fibrosis patients. Therefore, NPD lends itself as a good surrogate for Mucociliary clearance (MCC), in a proof of concept clinical trial.
The investigators will also measure TGF-ß levels in nasal secretions and cells to correlate these with the level of CaCC-mediated Cl- conductance.