Excessive airway obstruction is the cause of symptoms and abnormal lung function in
asthma. As airway smooth muscle (ASM) is the effecter controlling airway calibre, it is …

Morphological, functional, molecular and cell biology studies have revealed a striking
multifunctional nature of individual smooth muscle cells (SMC). SMCs manifest phenotypic …

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness in mild to moderate asthma may result from airway smooth
muscle cell proliferation or acquisition of a hypercontractile phenotype. Because these cells …

Mature airway smooth muscle cells are characterized by a low proliferative index and
expression of contractile marker proteins such as smooth muscle α-actin (sm-α-actin) …

Rationale: Recent findings have demonstrated that muscarinic M3 receptor stimulation
enhances airway smooth muscle proliferation to peptide growth factors in vitro. Because …

In addition to its contractile properties, airway smooth muscle may contribute to the
pathogenesis of asthma by increased proliferation, and by the expression and secretion of …

Chronic airways diseases, including asthma, are associated with an increased airway
smooth muscle (ASM) mass, which may contribute to chronic airway hyperresponsiveness …

Asthma is characterised by airway hyperresponsiveness, airway inflammation and airway
remodelling. Airway smooth muscle cells are known to be the main effector cells of airway …

Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), the exaggerated response to constrictor agonists in
asthmatic subjects, is incompletely understood. Changes in either the quantity or properties …

Airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells in culture stiffen when exposed to contractile agonists.
Such cell stiffening may reflect activation of the contractile apparatus as well as …