Example 3
Analysis of Lung Function Regulatory Effect of Regorafenib in Animal Model with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
In addition, the present inventors performed an experiment to determine whether regorafenib is able to restore lost function of damaged lungs in order to confirm whether regorafenib is able to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Specifically, 6-week-old C57BL/6 mice were purchased and acclimatized for one week, after which the acclimatized 7-week-old mice (average 25 g) were subjected to nasal administration with saline and PPE [elastase from porcine pancreas] (EPC, EC134) at a concentration of 5 U. Two weeks after administration, the mice were orally administered with 200 μl of regorafenib (SelleckChem, BAY 73-4506) at a concentration of 5 mg/kg for one week. Then, the mice were anesthetized using 300 μl of anesthetic on week 3, after which the lung function of each mouse was measured using a flexiVent (system for measuring the function of lungs) and quantified by subtracting the error value therefrom.
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Based on the aforementioned results, the present inventors confirmed that regorafenib is capable of inhibiting increased immune response caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and of improving and restoring damaged and changed lung structure and lung function, whereby regorafenib can be used as a novel therapeutic agent for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, and pneumonia.
As is apparent from the above description, regorafenib according to the present invention is capable of inhibiting increased immune response, which is a symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and of improving and restoring changed lung structure and damaged lung function, and can be effectively used for the manufacture of a medicament for the prevention, amelioration, or treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Although preferable exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed in detail above, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments are to be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive way. The scope of the present invention is indicated in the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the present invention.
