Cholinergic neurotransmission in human and guinea pig airways Function and dysfunction of muscarinic receptor subtypes

The diameter of the airways, and as a result airway resistance, are controlled by the contractile tone of smooth muscle layers within the airway wall. In asthma, there is shortness of breath (bronchial obstruction), wheezing and coughing, as a result of increased contractile tone of the airway smooth muscle. In addition, other factors such as oedema of the airway wall or increased mucus production by airway submucosal glands contribute to the obstruction. In allergic asthma, inhalation of a critical amount of allergen provokes an early allergic response, which in most humans consists of severe shortness of breath during 1 to 3 hours. In guinea pigs, the experimental animal used in the studies described in this thesis, this phase lasts for 2 to 5 hours. ... Zie: Summary.