Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2567214 | Pulmonary Pharmacology & Therapeutics | 2009 | 10 Pages |
Airway hyper-responsiveness associated with asthma is mediated by airway smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and has a complicated etiology involving increases in cell contraction and proliferation and the secretion of inflammatory mediators. Although these pathological changes are diverse, a common feature associated with their regulation is a change in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). Because the [Ca2+]i itself is a function of the activity and expression of a variety of ion channels, in both the plasma membrane and sarcoplasmic reticulum of the SMC, the modification of this ion channel activity may predispose airway SMCs to hyper-responsiveness. Our objective is to review how ion channels determine the [Ca2+]i and influence the function of airway SMCs and emphasize the potential of ion channels as sites for therapeutic approaches to asthma.