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Airway tone

Airway tone is regulated by the autonomic nervous system, via the release of neurotransmitters that activate specific autonomic receptors. Bronchoconstriction in asthma can probably be explained by the combined effects of several inflammatory mediators that cause airway obstruction by stimulating specific receptors[1]. Chronic contractile activation, or tone, in asthma coupled with continuous stretching due to breathing may be involved in altering the contractile function of airway smooth muscle (ASM) [2].

References

1. Barnes, P.J.: Pharmacology of the lower airways. In Jenne JW, Murphy S, eds. Bronchodilators: therapy and practice N. York: Marcel Dekker, 1987;67-95.

2. Fairbank NJ, Connolly SC, Mackinnon JD, Wehry K, Deng L, Maksym GN. Airway smooth muscle cell tone amplifies contractile function in the presence of chronic cyclic strain. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2008 Sep;295(3):L479-88.