Clinical asthma is characterized by reversible airway obstruction which is commonly due to
an exaggerated airway narrowing referred to as airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR).
Although debate exists on the complex etiology of AHR, it is clear that airway smooth muscle
(ASM) mediated airway narrowing is a major contributor to airway dysfunction. More
importantly, it is now appreciated that smooth muscle is far from being a simple cell with only
contractile ability properties. Rather, it is more versatile with the capacity to exhibit numerous …