British researchers want to test a new kind of drug on patients with asthma after discovering why patients get delayed reactions to some allergic substances.
The researchers at Imperial College, London, say they may be the first to explain the late reactions, which often plague patients at night.
Their findings, reported in the journal Thorax, show that sensory nerves in the airways are triggered by allergens, such as pollen.
One small trial has already suggested that drugs known as anticholinergic drugs can help patients with asthma when taken with a steroid inhaler. The trial involved 210 patients.
Researcher Professor Maria Belvisi said: "Many asthmatics have symptoms at night after exposure to allergens during the day, but until now we haven’t understood how this late response is brought about.
"Our study in animals suggests that anticholinergic drugs might help to alleviate these symptoms, and this is supported by the recent clinical data. We are seeking funding to see if these findings are reproduced in proof of concept clinical studies in asthmatics."
Professor Stephen Holgate, of the UK Medical Research Council, said: “Unravelling the complex biology of asthma is vitally important, as it is an extremely dangerous condition which exerts lifelong damaging effects."
A role for sensory nerves in the late asthmatic response. K. Raemdonck et al. Thorax, August 13 2011. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2011-200365
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