Λεξικό .. Airway remodeling

Airway remodeling

The long-term structural changes that occur in asthmatic airways wall as indicated by the accelerated rate of lung function decline occurring in these patients despite therapy with inhaled corticosteroids. Airway remodellind is thought to be a key component in the pathophysiology of asthma. Airway remodeling is characterized by thickening of the lamina reticularis with deposition of collagen and other extracellular matrix proteins leading to subepithelial fibrosis and increased airway goblet cells causing mucus hypersecretion. There is also myofibroblast proliferation and increased airway smooth muscle mass caused by both hyperplasia and hypertrophy of smooth muscle cells. While an important role for cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) in the pathogenesis of airway inflammation and bronchoconstriction in asthma has been well-established, the specific role of CysLTs in airway remodeling is less clear. Data from mouse models of asthma as well as limited human studies that demonstrate a key role for CysLTs in allergen-induced mucus hypersecretion, thickening of the lamina reticularis, and subepithelial fibrosis in the lungs.

References

Mehrotra AK, Henderson WR Jr. The role of leukotrienes in airway remodeling. Curr Mol Med. 2009 Apr;9(3):383-91.