Stress and airway reactivity in a murine model of allergic airway inflammation.

Airway reactivity is a phenomenon with vast clinical implications in children. The regulation of airway reactivity is influenced by local and central mechanisms. In airway diseases like bronchial asthma, the pathological regulation of the airway caliber causes symptoms like cough and dyspnea. Stress has long been considered a powerful manipulator in the physiological regulation of the airways. To explore potential mechanisms linking stress to the exacerbation of asthma, we developed an animal model that combines allergic airway inflammation and exposure to stress. This review summarizes the experimental data obtained in our and similar mouse models. First, we describe the innervation and neuromediators in the airways, next we analyze the occurrence of airway hyperresponsiveness, and then we explore the phenomenon of stress to finally connect all of the topics in a synopsis. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.