Researchers have said that cigarette smokers can avoid lung damage by drug. Cigarette smoke is the most common cause of emphysema.
Previous research showed that if mice have a gene called NRF2 that is blocked from functioning, they have earlier-onset and more-severe emphysema when exposed to smoke.
In the study, the researchers saw that, Mice that inhaled cigarette smoke five hours daily avoided lung damage by eating a chemical compound.
According to a report today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, The mice were exposed to smoke in a laboratory to study emphysema, a progressive lung disease that causes shortness of breath and often is fatal.
The compound, CDDO-imidazole, boosted the animals’ production of antioxidants that keep lung cells from dying and decrease inflammation.
