Key Terms in Respiratory Physiology

Key Terms in Respiratory Physiology

• Adhesives: Substances that hinder adhesion.
• Elasticity: A rheologic property of solids, measured by the storage modulus (G′), related to energy storage.
• Expectorants: Medications increasing airway secretion volume and hydration.
• Gel: Macromolecular description of pseudoplastic materials, possessing both viscosity and elasticity.
• Glycoproteins: Proteins with attached oligosaccharide (sugar) units.
• Mucins: The main structural components of mucus, high-molecular-weight glycoproteins, influencing mucus viscoelasticity.
• Mucoactive agents: Drugs impacting mucus secretion, including mucolytics, expectorants, mucospissics, mucoregulators, and mucokinetics.
• Mucokinetic agents: Medications enhancing cough or ciliary clearance of respiratory secretions.
• Mucolytic agents: Medications breaking down mucus polymers. Classic mucolytics target mucin, while peptide mucolytics break down pathologic DNA/actin filaments.
• Mucoregulatory agents: Medications reducing airway mucus secretion, especially effective in hypersecretory states (e.g., bronchorrhea, DPB, some asthma).
• Mucospissic agents: Medications increasing secretion viscosity, potentially helpful in treating bronchorrhea.
• Mucus: Secretion from goblet cells and glands, composed of water, proteins, and glycosylated mucins. Mucin is the glycoprotein portion.
• Oligosaccharide: A single carbohydrate unit found in glycoproteins.
• Phlegm: Purulent material in the airways (Greek word for inflammation). Expectorated phlegm is sputum.
• Rheology: The study of material deformation and flow under stress.
• Secretory hyperresponsiveness: Excessive mucus secretion in response to airway infection, cancer, or inflammation. Some asthma types exhibit this, while others show bronchospasm.
• Sol (periciliary layer): A thin gel layer containing attached mucins, bathing cilia and separating the mucus layer from the epithelial surface.
• Sputum: Expectorated phlegm, containing respiratory, oropharyngeal, and nasopharyngeal secretions, bacteria and inflammatory markers (e.g., DNA, actin).
• Viscosity: Resistance of liquids to shear forces, a rheologic property measured by the loss modulus (G′).

Test your understanding of essential concepts in respiratory physiology with this quiz. From mucin to expectorants, explore the critical terminology that shapes our knowledge of respiratory health. This quiz is perfect for students and professionals in the medical and biological sciences.