Acidic mammalian chitinase – a potential target for asthma therapy

Recently, inhibition of acidic mammalian chitinase in a murine asthmatic model was reported to have a profound anti-inflammatory effect, leading to the suggestion that this enzyme might be a novel therapeutic target for T helper 2-driven diseases such as asthma. The mechanism of action of such an enzyme in asthma pathology is unclear but the enzyme appears to mediate interleukin 13-dependent responses in a STAT6-independent manner. This observation has led to the proposal that chitinase family members are important mediators in allergic diseases including asthma.