title: Emerging airway smooth muscle targets to treat asthma.
abstract: Asthma is characterized in part by variable airflow obstruction and non-specific hyperresponsiveness to a variety of bronchoconstrictors, both of which are mediated by the airway smooth muscle (ASM). The ASM is also involved in the airway inflammation and airway wall remodeling observed in asthma. For all these reasons, the ASM provides an important target for the treatment of asthma. Several classes of drugs were developed decades ago which targeted the ASM - including β-agonists, anti-cholinergics, anti-histamines and anti-leukotrienes - but no substantially new class of drug has appeared recently. In this review, we summarize the on-going work of several laboratories aimed at producing novel targets and/or tools for the treatment of asthma. These range from receptors and ion channels on the ASM plasmalemma, to intracellular effectors (particularly those related to cyclic nucleotide signaling, calcium-homeostasis and phosphorylation cascades), to anti-IgE therapy and outright destruction of the ASM itself.
authors.affiliation: Meakins-Christie Laboratories, Department of Medicine, McGill University, 3626 St Urbain, Montréal, Québec H2X 2P2, Canada.
authors.forename: Sana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Siddiqui
authors.forename: Naresh Singh
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Redhu
authors.forename: Oluwaseun O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Ojo
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Nneka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Irechukwu
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Billington
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.forename: Lyn M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Moir
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D056151:Airway Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents