EDITORIAL Plugging (publicising) to prevent mucous plugging

ucus has long been known to exist in airways, but it is only relatively recently that mucous hypersecre-tion has been widely recognised to play major roles in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive lung diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis. Airway mucus is a complex mixture of liquids and proteins. Important components are gel-forming mucins, which are high-molecular-weight glycoproteins whose un-usual viscoelastic properties permit the gel to interact with epithelial cilia, thus promoting clearance of deposited foreign materials. Airway mucins are reviewed in detail elsewhere [1]. Owing to its clinical importance and the limited effectiveness of current therapies [2, 3], mucous hypersecretion is an appealing target for novel therapies. How has mucus evolved as an important source of hos