Recovering functionalities of deficient mucus with a polyethylene glycol-lectin conjugate

摘要

The treatment of the wet epithelium with WGA-PEG is a promising strategy to treat pathologies caused by an altered mucus layer. The treatment complements surfaces depleted in mucus by restoring hydration and reducing risk of infection. This strategy could also be applied as a preventive treatment against common respiratory bacterial infections by reinforcing our natural barrier. Further studies will investigate how the addition of these polymers affects the rheology and the commensal microbes hosted in the three-dimensional mucus gel.