Insect Exoskeleton Molecule May Help Fight Lung Disease
You probably don’t realize it, but right at this moment you are inhaling all sorts of foreign goop such as insect bits, odd remnants of dead mites and other small organisms. The waft of stuff that you are continuously taking into your body is very rich in a molecule that happens to be the main ingredient in insect exoskeletons, called chitin. Scientists have been studying the impact on our human health this tiny molecule has, and in doing so, found out two fascinating and possibly life saving facts about chitin. This molecule may just help us cure lung cancer…but it also causes it.
Chitin is a sugar molecule that is quite tough and found in most protective outer layers of many organisms on this planet such as a crab’s shell, the skin of a parasitic worm, and most insect exoskeletons. One major discovery researchers made is that chitin causes serious health issues in our lungs and has been linked to patients with lung cancer, asthma, and basically any disease of the lung. During a study of the molecule on rats, researchers found that the rodents with more chitin in their body tended to develop problems with their lungs such as inflammation, fibrosis, and difficulty breathing. So, more chitin equals more lung disease…
But for every villain, there is always a hero! While chitin spells bad news for us humans, another molecule found in our bodies, AMCase, helps to break down chitin and defend us from the chitin molecule. Now, we all have both of these molecules in our bodies, but it’s the amount that matters. Researchers took mice that had been genetically altered to be unable to produce AMCase and compared their health and growth with normal mice. It turns out that the secret to fighting the chitin monster is AMCase! The animals unable to produce AMCase immediately began developing lung issues and less than half of them survived an entire two years. The researchers discovered that is was their inability to break down chitin that was causing their lung problems. By restoring their AMCase levels, the researchers found they could reverse and heal the damage, as well as fight off any new attack. This could lead scientists to find a new drug that could possibly cure lung cancer, one of the biggest killers out there.
Do you know someone with lung problems? Do you think their problem could be linked to the levels of chitin and AMCase in their body?