Airway mucus,mucins and their secretory regulations / 中国病理生理杂志

Mucus secreted mainly by epithelial goblet cells and submucosal glands covering the respiratory tract plays an important role in the protection from external aggressions, such as solid particles, pathogens and chemical agents by mucociliary clearance. The viscoelastic properties of mucus are mainly determined by the presence of extensively-glycosylated high molecular weight mucins. A lot of factors influence the expression and secretion of mucins in airway, lead to mucus overproduction, which is a distinguishing feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and causes disruption of the mucociliary clearance function, resulting in airway block, chronic infection and death.