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Airway smooth muscle in asthma: just a target for bronchodilation?
Judith L Black1, Reynold A Panettieri, Audreesh Banerjee
1University of Sydney, Discipline of Pharmacology and Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia.
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.
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