Airway Smooth Muscle in Asthma and COPD: Biology and Pharmacology

Airway Smooth Muscle in Asthma and COPD
BIOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY
EDITOR
K. Fan Chung
Airway Disease Section, National Heart & Lung Institute, College London
Airway Smooth Muscle in Asthma and COPD is the first book of its kind that focuses entirely on the airway smooth muscle as the prime abnormality in airways diseases such as asthma.
Airways diseases are significant cause of morbidity and mortality across the world, and increasing research into these diseases has developed the understanding of pathophysiological processes in airways disease, such that there is now greater hope for new and more effective treatments. At the heart of this increased understanding is the important contribution of the airway smooth muscle that not only underlies the acute and chronic airway narrowing found in these diseases, but also contributes to the inflammatory and remodelling changes of airway diseases.
Professor Chung has published extensively on the pathophysiology of airways diseases and on airway smooth muscle biology and the contributors are all researchers in their specific fields. This volume will provide understanding for specialist physicians in pulmonology and allergy, workers in biomedical and pharmaceutical research, clinical investigators in pulmonary disease and scientists, of the approaches to discovering newer effective therapies for airways disease which will remain an important challenge for many years to come.
This book brings together under the same cover the biology and pharmacology of the airway smooth muscle in health and disease, particularly focusing on asthma and COPD, explaining:How abnormalities form the basis of many pathophysiological abnormalities of airways diseases such as asthma and COPD
Evidence for the participation of the airway smooth muscle in the inflammatory and remodelling response of the airways
Mechanisms of action of currently–available treatments on airway smooth muscle is particularly emphasized and potential targets for the treatment of airway diseases are highlighted

Spis treści:
List of Contributors.
1. Biophysical basis of airway smooth muscle contraction and hyperresponsiveness in asthma (Steven S. An and Jefferey J. Fredberg).
1.1 Introduction.
1.2 Airway hyperresponsiveness.
1.3 Classical behaviour of airway smooth muscle and the balance of static forces.
1.4 Shortening velocity and other manifestations of muscle dynamics.
1.5 Biophysical characterization of airway smooth muscle: bronchospasm in culture? 
1.6 Mechanical plasticity: a nonclassical feature of airway smooth muscle.
1.7 Recent observations.
1.8 Future directions.
References.
2. Dynamics of cytoskeletal and contractile protein organization: an emerging paradigm for airway smooth muscle contraction (Wenwu Zhang and Susan J. Gunst).
2.1 Introduction.
2.2 Molecular structure and organization of contractile and cytoskeletal filaments in the airway smooth muscle cell.
2.3 Cytoskeletal dynamics and airway smooth muscle contraction.
References.
3. Airway smooth muscle: role in airway constrictor hyperresponsiveness (Melanie Brown and Julian Solway).
3.1 What is airway constrictor hyperresponsiveness (AHR)?
3.2 IS AHR ever good?
3.3 Potential mechanisms leading to airflow obstruction.
3.4 Potential abnormalities of airway smooth muscle (ASM).
3.5 If ASM is dysfunctional, how did it get that way?
3.6 Summary.
Acknowledgements.
References.
4. Airway smooth muscle phenotypic and functional plasticity (Andrew J. Halayko, Reinoud Gosens and Thai Tran).
4.1 Introduction.
4.2 Historical perspective: smooth muscle phenotype plasticity.
4.3 Features of phenotype plasticity.
4.4 Mechanisms for phenotypic plasticity.
4.5 Functional plasticity of airway smooth muscle: role in asthma pathogenesis.
4.6 Concludi ng remarks.
References.
5. Airway smooth muscle proliferation: insights into mechanisms regulating airway smooth muscle mass (Reynold A. Panettieri, Jr.).
5.1 Increases in airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass and the functional consequences.
5.2 Growth factors, inflammatory mediators and cytokines modulate ASM proliferation.
References.
6. Airway smooth muscle bidirectional interactions with extracellular matrix (Jane E. Ward and Stuart J. Hirst).
6.1 Overview
6.2 Introduction
6.3 Airway extracellular matrix (ECM) in health and disease.
6.4 Integrins.
6.5 Airway smooth muscle (ASM) as a modulator of airway ECM.
6.6 Airway ECM as modulator of ASM function.
6.7 Impact of anti–asthma therapy on ASM–ECM interactions.
6.8 Conclusions.
Acknowledgements.
References.
7. Airway smooth muscle interaction with mast cells (Roger Marthan, Patrick Berger, Pierre–Olivier Girodet and J. Manuel Tunon–de–Lara).
7.1 Introduction.
7.2 Mast Cell mediators after smooth muscle function.
7.3 Smooth muscle cells induce mast cell chemotaxis.
7.4 Mast cells can adhere to airway smooth muscle.
7.5 Conclusion.
Acknowledgements.
References.
8. Airway smooth muscle synthesis of inflammatory mediators (Alison E. John, Deborah L. Clarke, Alan J. Knox and Karl Deacon).
8.1 Introduction.
8.2 Lipid mediators.
8.3 Chemokines.
8.4 Growth and remodelling factors.
8.5 Conclusions.
References.
9. Airway smooth muscle in experimental models (Anne–Marie Lauzon and James G. Martin).
9.1 Introduction.
9.2 Methods of assessment of airway smooth muscle (ASM) function.
9.3 Potential mechanisms by which ASM properties may contribute to airway responsiveness.
9.4 Experimental models.
9.5 Conclusion.
Acknowledgement.
References.
10. Altered properties of airway smooth muscle in asthma (Judith Black, Janette Burgess, Brian Oliver and Lyn Moir).
10.1 Introduction.
10.2 The extracellular matrix (ECM) and the airway smooth muscle (ASM).
10.3 ASM and integrins.
10.4 The ASM cell and inflammation.
10.5 The ASM cell and infection.
References.
11. The airway smooth muscle in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (Maria B. Sukkar and Kian Fan Chung).
11.1 Introduction.
11.2 Definition and assessment of COPD.
11.3 Pathological features of COPD.
11.4 COPD mechanisms.
11.5 Conclusion.
References.
12. Glucocorticoid actions on airway smooth muscle (Ian M. Adcock, Loukia Tsaprouni and Pank Bhavsar).
12.1 Introduction.
12.2 Airway smooth muscle (ASM) in airways disease.
12.3 Gene introduction by glucocorticoid receptors (GR).
12.4 Actions of ß2–agonists and glucocorticoids on growth, proliferation, and migration of ASM.
12.5 Summary and conclusions.
Acknowledgements.
References.
13. ß2–Adrenergic receptors: effects on airway smooth muscle (Malcolm Johnson).
13.1 The ß2–adrenoceptor.
13.2 ß2–Receptor activation.
13.3 ß2–Receptor signalling pathways.
13.4 Effects in airway smooth muscle (ASM).
13.5 ß2–Receptor desensitization.
13.6 Influence of polymorphisms of the ß2–adrenoceptor in ASM.
13.7 Non–bronchodilator effects of ß2–agonists in ASM.
13.8 Conclusion.
References.
14. Asthma treatments: effects on the airway smooth muscle (Kian Fan Chung).
14.1 Introduction.
14.2 Role and abnormalities of airway smooth muscle (ASM) in asthma and COPD.
14.3 Treatment of asthma.
14.4 References.
Index.

Okładka tylna:
Airway Smooth Muscle in Asthma and COPD
BIOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY
EDITOR
K. Fan Chung
Airway Disease Section, Nationa