Mucoactive agent (expectorant)

Expectorants, a subtype of mucoactive agents, are drugs used to facilitate the clearance of mucus from the airways by hydrating secretions and decreasing their viscosity. By increasing the volume and reducing the stickiness of bronchial mucus, expectorants such as guaifenesin help make coughs more productive and less frequent. Their mechanisms often include irritating gastric receptors to activate a reflex that increases respiratory tract secretion and modulating the secretion and properties of mucin glycoproteins in airway mucus. This target is a therapeutic mechanism, not a molecular target, and is thus not suitable to be treated as a receptor, enzyme, or similar entity.

Other names

ExpectorantMucoactive agentMucolyticMucokineticSecretolyticMucoregulator

Expectorants increase hydration/volume of mucus and decrease its adhesiveness and viscosity. They can stimulate vagal afferents in the gastric mucosa, increasing airway secretions by a gastro-pulmonary reflex, and modulate the secretion of mucin proteins (e.g., MUC5AC).