
Scientists from EMBL Heidelberg published a new study in Science Translational Medicine evaluating the potential of dextromethorphan to treat lung fibrosis. Dextromethorphan is an FDA-approved drug that is a common active ingredient in over-the-counter cough syrup.
Lung fibrosis is related to numerous severe or chronic health conditions and can cause significant breathing problems or worse. According to the 2019 Global Burden of Disease, fibrotic disease accounts for 17.8% of global deaths, and there is no cure.
The study’s researchers employed various modern technologies that didn’t exist when dextromethorphan and similar drugs were first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Data demonstrated how dextromethorphan hinders fibrillar collagen from accumulating and forming scars inside cells, thereby reducing lung fibrosis.
“To screen for a potential antifibrotic drug, we used first, a high throughput microscopy of an optimized ‘scar-in-a-jar’ assay to identify potential drugs inhibiting collagen trafficking followed by a variety of techniques such as proteomics, transcriptomics, microscopy which allowed us to pin down the mechanisms of action of the drug,” said Muzamil Majid Khan, PhD, first author and EMBL research associate, in a press release.
Dr. Khan and team collaborated with the Translational Research Center (TLRC) Heidelberg and the German Center for Lung Research (DZL). The consortium initially tested dextromethorphan in mouse models, then experimented on live 3D organotypic human lung tissue cultured in the lab.
Rainer Pepperkok, PhD, senior author and EMBL group leader, said the research group plans to work with Thoraxclinic, a local Heidelberg clinic, to complete a phase II clinical trial. The goal is to learn more about how and why dextromethorphan works in human patients.
“It is important to remember that this is still fundamental research and only a very first step in understanding dextromethorphan’s impact on lung fibrosis. That said, this fundamental discovery does seem to offer promising therapeutic potential,” said Dr. Pepperkok.