title: Key mediators in the immunopathogenesis of allergic asthma.
abstract: Asthma is described as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the conducting airways. It is characterized by reversible airway obstruction, eosinophil and Th2 infiltration, airway hyper-responsiveness and airway remodeling. Our findings to date have largely been dependent on work done using animal models, which have been instrumental in broadening our understanding of the mechanism of the disease. However, using animals to model a uniquely human disease is not without its drawbacks. This review aims to examine some of the key mediators and cells of allergic asthma learned from animal models and shed some light on emerging mediators in the pathogenesis allergic airway inflammation in acute and chronic asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Center for Clinical & Translational Science, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE USA.
authors.forename: Sannette
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Center for Clinical & Translational Science, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE USA. Electronic address: dkagr@creighton.edu.
authors.forename: Devendra K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Agrawal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
keywords: Airway epithelium; Airway hyper-responsiveness; Allergic airway inflammation; Asthma; Innate lymphoid cells; Th17 cells