Mucoactive agent

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Drugs that clear mucus from airways

title: "Mucoactive agent" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["pulmonology", "expectorants"] description: "Drugs that clear mucus from airways" topic_path: "general/pulmonology" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucoactive_agent" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Drugs that clear mucus from airways ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Cough_medicine.jpg" caption="Cough medicines usually contain mucoactive agents"] ::

Mucoactive agents are a class of pharmacologic agents that include expectorants, mucolytics, mucoregulators, and mucokinetics that can affect the volume, viscosity, transportation, and composition of mucus or sputum. They often aid in clearing mucus or sputum from the upper and lower airways. These medications are used to treat respiratory diseases complicated by the oversecretion or inspissation of mucus. These drugs can be further categorized by their mechanism of action.

Mechanism of action

Mucoactive agents—expectorants—include mucolytics, secretolytics and mucokinetics (also called secretomotorics)

  • Mucolytics: thin (reduce the viscosity of) mucus
  • Secretolytics: increase airway water or the volume of airway secretions
  • Mucokinetics: increase mucociliary transport (clearance) and transportability of mucus by cough
  • Mucoregulators: suppress underlying mechanisms of mucus hypersecretion

Alternatively, attacking the affinity between secretions and the biological surfaces is another avenue, which is used by abhesives and surfactants.

Any of these effects could improve airway clearance during coughing.

In general, clearance ability is hampered by the bonding to surfaces (stickiness) and by the viscosity of mucous secretions in the lungs. In turn, the viscosity is dependent upon the concentration of mucoprotein in the secretions.

Mucolytics, secretolytics and secretomotorics are different types of medication, yet they are intended to promote drainage of mucus from the lungs.

An expectorant (from the Latin expectorare, to expel or banish) works by signaling the body to increase the amount or hydration of secretions, resulting in more, yet clearer, secretions and lubricating the irritated respiratory tract.{{cite web | url=http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=24354 | title=Definition of Expectorant | date=2016-05-13 | publisher=MedicineNet | access-date=2018-01-04 | archive-date=11 August 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811092700/https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=24354 | url-status=live One mucoactive agent, guaifenesin, has anxiolytic and muscle-relaxing properties. It is commonly available in cough syrups and also as sustained-release tablets.

Mucolytics can dissolve thick mucus and are usually used to help relieve respiratory difficulties. They do this by breaking down the chemical bonds between molecules in the mucus. This in turn can lower the viscosity by altering the mucin-containing components.

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An expectorant increases bronchial secretions and mucolytics help loosen thick bronchial secretions. Expectorants reduce the thickness or viscosity of bronchial secretions, thus increasing mucus flow that can be removed more easily through coughing. Mucolytics break down the chemical structure of mucus molecules. The mucus becomes thinner and can be removed more easily through coughing. |Adams, Holland, & Bostwick, 2008, p. 591}}

Mucoactive drugs

References

  • {{cite book | title=Pharmacology for Nurses: A Pathophysiologic Approach | first1=Michael | last1=Adams | first2=Leland Norman | last2=Holland | first3=Paula Manuel | last3=Bostwick | publisher=Pearson Education | year=2016 | edition=5 | pages=960 | isbn=978-0134255163}}

  • {{cite journal | title=Mucolytics, Expectorants, and Mucokinetic Medications | first=Bruce K | last=Rubin | journal=Respiratory Care | date=2007-07-01 | volume=52 | issue=7 | pages=859–865 | pmid=17594730 | url=http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/52/7/859.short}}

References

  1. (2024). "Mucoactive drugs and multiple applications in pulmonary disease therapy". European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics.
  2. Dorow, P.. (1990). "Mucolytics: When dispensable, when necessary?". Lung.
  3. (2025). "StatPearls". StatPearls Publishing.
  4. (2010). "Mucoactive drugs". European Respiratory Review.
  5. (2007). "Mucoactive agents for airway mucus hypersecretory diseases". Respiratory Care.
  6. Rubin, Bruce K.. (2006). "The pharmacologic approach to airway clearance: Mucoactive agents". Paediatric Respiratory Reviews.
  7. "NCATS Inxight: Drugs – MECYSTEINE HYDROCHLORIDE".
  8. United States Food and Drug Administration: [https://web.archive.org/web/20030915182250/http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?FR=310.545 Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Volume 5, April 1, 2009]
  9. (May 2014). "Guaifenesin has no effect on sputum volume or sputum properties in adolescents and adults with acute respiratory tract infections". Respiratory Care.
  10. (May 2014). "Is extended-release guaifenesin no better than a placebo?". Respir Care.

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pulmonologyexpectorants