RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Purinergic Signaling in the Airways
JF Pharmacological Reviews
JO Pharmacol Rev
FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
SP 834
OP 868
DO 10.1124/pr.111.005389
VO 64
IS 4
A1 Geoffrey Burnstock
A1 Inge Brouns
A1 Dirk Adriaensen
A1 Jean-Pierre Timmermans
A2 Dianne M. Perez
YR 2012
UL http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/content/64/4/834.abstract
AB Evidence for a significant role and impact of purinergic signaling in normal and diseased airways is now beyond dispute. The present review intends to provide the current state of knowledge of the involvement of purinergic pathways in the upper and lower airways and lungs, thereby differentiating the involvement of different tissues, such as the epithelial lining, immune cells, airway smooth muscle, vasculature, peripheral and central innervation, and neuroendocrine system. In addition to the vast number of well illustrated functions for purinergic signaling in the healthy respiratory tract, increasing data pointing to enhanced levels of ATP and/or adenosine in airway secretions of patients with airway damage and respiratory diseases corroborates the emerging view that purines act as clinically important mediators resulting in either proinflammatory or protective responses. Purinergic signaling has been implicated in lung injury and in the pathogenesis of a wide range of respiratory disorders and diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, inflammation, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, and pulmonary hypertension. These ostensibly enigmatic actions are based on widely different mechanisms, which are influenced by the cellular microenvironment, but especially the subtypes of purine receptors involved and the activity of distinct members of the ectonucleotidase family, the latter being potential protein targets for therapeutic implementation.