TITLE:
The airway epithelium dysfunction in the pathogenesis of asthma: The evidence
AUTHORS:
Salvatore Leonardi, Alfina Coco, Michele Miraglia Del Giudice, Gianluigi L. Marseglia, Mario La Rosa
KEYWORDS:
Airway Epithelium; Dysfunction; Asthma; Evidence
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.5 No.2A,
February
27,
2013
ABSTRACT: Asthma
is traditionally defined as a chronic, multisystem, multicellular disease
characterized by bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) and lung inflammation. In
this illness is particularly involving the airway epithelium as the place where
the inflammation begins, develops and often returns through airway remodelling.
In specific way there is also an evolving awareness of the active participation
of structural elements, such as the airway epithelium, airway smooth muscle,
and endothelium, in this process. The airway inflammation and remodelling
together likely explain the clinical manifestations of asthma that is demonstrated
by complicated respiratory manifestations in which wheeze occurring secondary
to bronchoconstriction in the setting of airway hyper-responsiveness and mucous
hypersecretion. This is confirmed by also the histopathological analyses of
bronchial biopsies from asthmatic subjects. For this reason is very important
to understand the physiological role of the airway epithelium and their changes
during the exacerbation of disease.