The smooth muscle and airway hyperresponsiveness

C. Terzano, G. Laurendi, G. Capoccetta, M. Rapisarda, R. Pacilio, A. Petroianni

Department of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Sciences, Fondazione E. Lorillard Spencer Cenci, Clinica per lo Studio e la Cura delle Malattie Toraco-Polmonari, Faculty of Medicine, “La Sapienza” University – Rome (Italy)

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• Respiratory Medicine

Airway hyperresponsiveness, excessive airway narrowing caused by stimuli that normally elicit limited or no response, is one of the cardinal features of asthma. The length-dependence of smooth muscle contractility has been recognized for decades, and it forms an essential foundation for many aspects of the physiological regulation of airway contractility in vivo. This review summarizes the structural and functional alterations of airway smooth muscle in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, that underlie pathophysiological conditions of airway hyperresponsiveness.