MedTrace Logo

p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) and Steroid Insensitivity in Asthma

NCT00676572 · Status: COMPLETED · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 12

Last updated 2019-10-15

Study results available
· View outcomes & findings →

Summary

This research aims to find out how the inflammation in patients suffering from severe asthma is different from that in non-severe asthma, and how it may prevent corticosteroids from working efficiently in severe asthma.

It will look,in particular, at a protein enzyme called p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK for short)which controls the activation of several important pathways in the cell. We wish to find out whether this enzyme is more active in cells obtained from patients with severe asthma compared to those with non-severe asthma. We would like to understand how this enzyme can cause the cell to respond less well to the anti-inflammatory effects of corticosteroids. We also wish to find out whether any specific inhibitors of p38 MAPK can improve severe asthma by improving the effects of corticosteroids on these cells.

We hypothesise that activation of the intracellular MAPK signalling pathway underlies the inflammatory processes of severe asthma, and leads to the diminution of the anti-inflammatory actions of CS through histone modification.

Conditions

Interventions

OTHER

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy; blood test

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy for obtention of alveolar macrophages and bronchial biopsies for histology and culture of airway smooth muscle cells

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust

    collaborator OTHER

  • Medical Research Council

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • Imperial College London

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Kian F Chung, MBBS MD FRCP DSc · Imperial College London

  • Pankaj Bhavsar, BSc PhD · Imperial College London

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
60 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2008-05-31
Primary Completion
2011-10-31
Completion
2011-10-31

Countries

  • United Kingdom

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases
Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT00676572 on ClinicalTrials.gov