Year: 2006
Type: article
Abstract: The worldwide incidence, morbidity and mortality of asthma are\nincreasing dramatically. It is one of the most common disorders\nencountered in clinical medicine in both children and adults. It\naffects approximately 5% of the adult population in the western world\nand its reported incidence is increasing vigorously in many developed\nnations. A network of novel mediators known as 'pleiotropic cytokines'\nregulate the intermittent airway inflammation, bronchial smooth muscle\nhyperreactivity and bronchoconstricion underlying asthma. Preclinical\nand clinical data suggest that, the pathophysiological features of\nasthma are thought to result from the aberrant expansion of cytokines\nand chemokines. Cytokines are small extracellular signaling protein\nproduced by different cells and possess a wide spectrum of biological\nactivities due to their redundancy and pleiotropic properties. They are\ncritical to the functioning of both innate and adaptive immune\nresponses. Cytokines and their receptors exhibit very high affinity for\neach other. Because of this high affinity, picomolar concentrations of\ncytokines can mediate a biological effect. The major groups of\ncytokines are lymphokines, proinflammatory cytokine, inhibitory\ncytokines and growth factors. Pathophysiology of asthma is still poorly\nunderstood and its cause remains unknown. On this basis, this review\nwill concentrate on the synthesis, release and functional role of each\ncytokine in the pathophysiology of asthma.
Authors: Shailaja G. Mahajan, Anita A. Mehta
Language: English
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1597609068