Phase 2 Study of Digitoxin for the Treatment of Airway Inflammation in Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis lung disease progresses by a combination of accelerated airways inflammation and bacterial colonization and infection. Airways inflammation in CF is predominantly neutrophilic and complicates airway clearance therapies through cellular debris, excessive DNA, excessive and viscous mucous, and high concentrations of neutrophils,Il-8 and related cytokines liberated along the NFkB signaling pathway. We conducted a single site, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept trial in which we evaluated the effects of 28 days of two dose levels (0.05 mg and 0.10 mg daily) of an older cardiac glycoside, digitoxin, as compared with placebo, on inflammatory markers in induced sputum obtained from 24 subjects with mild to moderate CF lung disease. Nasal epithelial cells from 23 subjects were analyzed for microarray analysis. CF patients 18 to 45 years old, any genotype combination, were eligible.

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Zeitlin PL, Diener-West M, Callahan KA, Lee S, Talbot CC Jr, Pollard B, Boyle MP, Lechtzin N