Surfaxin has been shown to remove inflammatory and infectious infiltrates from patients' lungs
If that is what you mean by an anti-inflammatory drug, I think your definition is more than a bit too broad. My point is that there is no reason to suspect the drug in the article is Surfaxin and that trying to draw a connection is intellectually dishonest.
Perhaps the confusion is around the definition of a surfactant. A surfactant is a substance that has two distinct ends to each molecule, generally one that is water soluble and one that is not. An example is soap. The non-water-soluble ends stick to dirt, oil or whatever, leaving the water soluble ends to the outside, like fuzz glued to a tennis ball. The resulting water-soluble layer around the particle that allows it to be dispersed in water.
Lung surfactants allow the lung lining to remain moist and clean while breathing. They wash away inhaled junk like soap washes away dirt. Sure, keeping wet and clean is a good way to prevent or limit inflammation, but that does not in any way entitle Surfaxin to be called an anti-inflammatory. In fact, technically, it is not even a drug.
That said, surfaxin could be an interesting treatment if the cost is low enough. There are a number of reasons, as you pointed out, to switch from animal surfactants.
-g |
