Bronchial smooth muscle targets

Bronchial smooth muscle (often called airway smooth muscle or ASM) consists of specialized muscle cells in the walls of the bronchi and bronchioles responsible for regulating airway caliber. These cells contract to narrow the airway and relax to allow bronchodilation, thus playing a central role in airway resistance and bronchomotor tone[2][4]. In diseases such as asthma and COPD, airway smooth muscle exhibits altered contractile and proliferative responses, contributing to airflow obstruction and airway remodeling. The cell expresses a wide variety of molecular targets including G protein-coupled receptors (e.g., β2-adrenergic, muscarinic acetylcholine, histamine, endothelin receptors), ion channels, kinases (e.g., myosin light chain kinase), and structural proteins. Pharmacological agents for bronchoconstrictive diseases typically target these molecular entities to relax muscle tone or reduce muscle proliferation[3][4]. The term "bronchial smooth muscle targets" is thus not a valid canonical target, but an umbrella encompassing many different, more specific druggable molecular entities within smooth muscle.

Other names

bronchial smooth muscleairway smooth muscleASMbronchial smooth muscle cellairway smooth muscle cell