Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 7
Membrane-Related Diseases
Life starts with a single cell, but the cell is also where the origin of most pathological
changes and disorders can be traced. Disease states can, in most cases, be linked to the
abnormal functioning of specific organs. A living cell is the fundamental unit where
most of these abnormalities happen and where they are initiated. That is why a cell
is also the ultimate target for the action of most drugs. Cancer, Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease, various infectious diseases, etc. originate in individual cellular
compartments, including the membrane. This chapter will be dedicated to a better
understanding of the membrane's involvement in diseases, and disease treatment
using drugs targeting cell membranes. Several examples will be used for illustration
purposes. However, due to the topic's subject matter, we will concentrate on the
scientific aspects of a few of the membrane-based diseases, leaving the medical
issues aside. Below, we list several diseases that are either directly or indirectly
related to membrane properties and their abnormalities.
1. Hyaline Membrane Disease is commonly associated with preterm infants. Hya-
line membrane disease affects the lungs at the time of birth, thus causing respi-
ratory distress.
2. Alzheimer's Disease . The oxidative stress caused by Alzheimer's disease in the
brain results in phospholipid alterations that compromise the cell membrane,
disrupting the function of the brain cells. A host of other cellular abnormalities,
including zinc deficiency and tauopathy, have been implicated in the origins of
Alzheimer's disease.
3. Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that brings about an excessive production of fluid in
the lungs due to a defective calcium-ion channel, which contains a protein that
is crucially important to the membrane of lung cells. The calcium-ion channel
controls the level of fluids and mucus in the lungs, hence, when it mutates in
cystic fibrosis patients, it causes the mucus to build up in the lungs, making it
hard to breathe.
4. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) affects the protein called dystrophin
located in muscle cells. Dystrophin allows the muscle cell membrane to connect
with the intracellular section. In the absence of dystrophin, the cell membrane
 
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