Those with chronic or severe acne may be familiar with doxycycline, a prescription antibiotic that fights blemishes by curbing bacterial growth. Part of the tetracycline family, it’s frequently used to treat rosacea, and has even been found to help combat collagen breakdown in aging skin.
But one of the latest discoveries about doxycycline, which is also called Oracea (among other brand names), has nothing to do with your face.
University of California, San Diego, medical researchers have found that doxycycline may help prevent tissue damage that lung diseases like emphysema can cause. It does this by addressing a specific protein that is abundantly present in healthy lung tissue and lacking in diseased tissue-in mice, at least.
Whether or not this finding will lead to help for humans with lung disease is yet to be seen. In the meantime, those who currently take doxycycline should continue to use it as directed by their doctors.
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