Inactivation of smooth muscle tissue
View Patent ↗Treatment and procedures for treating bodily conduits involves deactivating, killing, or otherwise treating smooth muscle tissue of the conduit.
1. A method of reducing the ability of a lung airway to narrow, the method comprising:
placing an effective amount of botulinum toxin type A into a blood vessel that supplies blood to tissue of the lung airway, where the botulinum toxin type A reduces the ability of the lung airway to constrict.
2. The method of claim 1 , where the blood vessel comprises a bronchial artery.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising delivering a second agent to the tissue of lung airway, where the second agent protects a portion of the tissue of lung airway against the effects of the agent botulinum toxin type A.
4. The method of claim 3 , where the second agent is delivered by a mode selected from the group consisting of inhalation, injection, and oral administration.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising stimulating the lung airway.
6. The method of claim 5 , where stimulating the lung airway increases absorption of the botulinum toxin type A.
7. The method of claim 5 , where placing the botulinum toxin type A comprises injecting the botulinum toxin type A in response to the amount of stimulated contraction.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting a second vascular site, and reducing blood flow in the second vascular site to decrease the flow rate of the botulinum toxin type A in the blood vessel.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising monitoring the blood to determine an amount of the botulinum toxin type A remaining in the blood supply.
10. A method of reducing the ability of a lung airway to constrict in response to stimulus, the method comprising: injecting an effective amount of botulinum toxin type A into a bronchial artery that supplies blood to tissues of the lung airway, wherein the botulinum toxin type A restricts the ability of the lung airway to constrict.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein a portion of the botulinum toxin type A is eventually carried to the smooth muscle tissue.
12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising delivering a second agent to the tissue of lung airway, where the second agent protects a portion of the tissue of lung airway against the effects of the agent botulinum toxin type A.
13. The method of claim 12 , where the second agent is delivered by a mode selected from the group consisting of inhalation, injection, and oral administration.
14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising stimulating the lung airway.
15. The method of claim 14 , where stimulating the lung airway increases absorption of the botulinum toxin type A.
16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising selecting a second vascular site, and reducing blood flow in the second vascular site to decrease the flow rate of the botulinum toxin type A in the bronchial artery.
17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising monitoring the blood to determine an amount the botulinum toxin type A remaining in the blood supply.