Abstract

Asthma is characterised by a chronic inflammatory process involving the airway wall leading to airflow limitation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. This review describes the cellular molecular events underlying airway inflammation and remodelling in asthma and focuses on the distinct mechanisms of action of corticosteroids in beta agonists in asthma pathophysiology. In particular it discusses the evidence from studies both in vitro and in vivo to suggest that there is a complimentary beneficial interaction of these agents on the asthma process.

Keywords: inhaled glucocorticoids, beta 2 adrenoceptor agonists, asthma pathology, smooth muscle, structural cells, neutrophilic airway, corticosteroids, cytoplasmic concentrations, phosphodiesterase