[Mechanisms of asthma. II. Potential pharmacological targets]

The pharmacological modifications of the airways contraction and of the secretion of mediators of anaphylaxis appear as the main way to therapeutic control of asthma. Calcium antagonists which inhibit calcium influx in the pulmonary smooth muscle have been proposed as antiasthmatic drugs. The pharmacological use of inhibitors of calmodulin, the intracellular target of calcium, requires the development of specific calmodulin inhibitors. The secretion of the mediators of anaphylaxis involves modifications of membranous phospholipids metabolism. The cytoskeleton might control the exocytosis of stored mediators. The multiplicity of putative mediators, of cellular systems and of various interrelationships between mediators of anaphylaxis and neuromediators, suggest multiple potential pharmacological targets in asthma.