What evidence implicates airway smooth muscle in the cause of BHR?

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), the occurrence of excessive bronchoconstriction in response to relatively small constrictor stimuli, is a cardinal feature of asthma. Here, we consider the role that airway smooth muscle might play in the generation of BHR. The weight of evidence suggests that sm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical reviews in allergy & immunology 2003-02, Vol.24 (1), p.73-84
Main Authors: Dulin, Nickolai O, Fernandes, Darren J, Dowell, Maria, Bellam, Shashi, McConville, John, Lakser, Oren, Mitchell, Richard, Camoretti-Mercado, Blanca, Kogut, Paul, Solway, Julian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actins - physiology
Animals
Asthma
Asthma - physiopathology
Bronchi - drug effects
Bronchi - physiopathology
Bronchial Hyperreactivity - physiopathology
Bronchoconstrictor Agents - pharmacology
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Elasticity
Histamine - pharmacology
Humans
Methacholine Chloride - pharmacology
Muscle, Smooth - physiopathology
Muscular system
Respiration
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Summary:Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), the occurrence of excessive bronchoconstriction in response to relatively small constrictor stimuli, is a cardinal feature of asthma. Here, we consider the role that airway smooth muscle might play in the generation of BHR. The weight of evidence suggests that smooth muscle isolated from asthmatic tissues exhibits normal sensitivity to constrictor agonists when studied during isometric contraction, but the increased muscle mass within asthmatic airways might generate more total force than the lesser amount of muscle found in normal bronchi. Another salient difference between asthmatic and normal individuals lies in the effect of deep inhalation (DI) on bronchoconstriction. DI often substantially reverses induced bronchoconstriction in normals, while it often has much less effect on spontaneous or induced bronchoconstriction in asthmatics. It has been proposed that abnormal dynamic aspects of airway smooth muscle contraction velocity of contraction or plasticity- elasticity balance might underlie the abnormal DI response in asthma. We suggest a speculative model in which abnormally long actin filaments might account for abnormally increased elasticity of contracted airway smooth muscle.
ISSN:1080-0549
1080-0549
1559-0267
DOI:10.1385/criai:24:1:73