| Literature DB >> 22929101 |
Judith L Black1, Reynold A Panettieri, Audreesh Banerjee, Patrick Berger.
Abstract
Airway smooth muscle (ASM) has long been recognized as the main cell type responsible for bronchial hyperresponsiveness. It has, thus, been considered as a target for bronchodilation. In asthma, however, there is a complex relationship between ASM and inflammatory cells, such as mast cells and T lymphocytes. Moreover, the increased ASM mass in asthmatic airways is one of the key features of airway remodeling. This article aims to review the main concepts about the 3 possible roles of ASM in asthma: (1) contractile tone, (2) inflammatory response, and (3) remodeling.Entities:
Mesh:
Year: 2012 PMID: 22929101 PMCID: PMC3431506 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccm.2012.05.002
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Clin Chest Med ISSN: 0272-5231 Impact factor: 2.878