Allergen-induced airway remodelling

Airway remodelling is associated with chronic asthma but it remains unclear whether it results from airway inflammation in response to allergens or immune-mediated events such as viral infections. Although the acute inflammation associated with asthma has been modelled extensively bothin vitroandin vivo, the structural changes occurring in the lung have only recently been investigated. Thesein vitro,in vivoandin silicosystems have been designed to examine the pathways leading to allergen-induced airway remodelling and have enabled investigators to draw conclusions about the participation of key cells and molecules in the development of allergen-induced airway remodelling. However, fundamental questions remain regarding the genesis of remodelling as well as the relationship between functional symptoms and pathological changes that occur. In this review the key questions relating allergen exposure to development of remodelling are discussed, as well as the steps that are being undertaken to investigate them.