The treatment targets of asthma: from laboratory to clinic.
Asthma is a chronic disease characterised by airways hyperresponsiveness, airways inflammation, airways remodelling and reversible airways obstruction. Airway structural cells, recruited inflammatory cells and many mediators such as cytokines, chemokines and adhesion molecules are involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. Although asthma is treatable in most, but not all patients by currently available drugs, no treatment is preventive or curative and the disease has reached epidemic proportions worldwide and its incidence is continuing to increase. Many thousands have chronic, severe asthma and suffer daily symptoms making it imperative that we continue to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of asthma particularly related to airway inflammation and remodelling, the hallmarks of asthma, and to identify new therapeutic targets. In this review we will discuss current drugs and potential targets in the treatment of asthma.
Fang
Cailong
C
MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, Department of Asthma, Allergy & Respiratory Science, King's College London, London, UK.
Corrigan
Chris J
CJ
Ying
Sun
S
D000818:Animals; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic; D055808:Drug Discovery; D006801:Humans; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors