Abstract
The role of disulfide bonds in determining the viscoelastic properties of sputum was examined in chronic bronchitic patients during acute exacerbation and recovery. Significantly higher levels of disulfide, DNA and solid concentration were characteristic of sputum in the acute as compared to the recovery phase. At the fixed concentration of solids and pH used during viscoelastic measurements, no correlation was found between DNA concentration and viscoelasticity. However, a significant correlation was found between disulfide concentration and viscoelastic measurements in samples of both phases when the original concentration of solids in sputum was above 3.5%.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.