The Impact of Airway Epithelial Cells on Asthma Pathogenesis and Progression

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by airway hyperreactivity, inflammation and remodeling. Recent studies have underlined the critical role of airway epithelial cells in the pathogenesis and progression of asthma. This review describes the role of airway epithelium, its response to environmental insults and how it communicates with other cell types involved in asthma. Further, it will discuss how epithelial cell dysfunction worsens asthma and what potential therapy targets may exist within epithelial pathways.