Effect of erdosteine and its metabolites on tracheobronchial mucus production and transport.

The effect of erdosteine and its metabolites on tracheobronchial mucus production and transport was studied. Erdosteine showed important muco-regulating action (increase of mucus production), and also influenced muciliary clearance. Erdosteine, after intravenous administration, was more active than the muco-regulating drugs used for comparative purposes (about 4 times as active as N-acetyl-cysteine; about 1.8 times as active as sobrerol and bromexine; and about 1.4 times as active as ambroxol). After oral administration erdosteine showed significant action on mucus production, causing an effect quantitatively the same as that produced by bromexine. Erdosteine and its metabolites also increased TMV in pigeons after intravenous administration. Moreover, erdosteine and its metabolites were significantly active and their acute toxicity was extremely low.