Mechanical stress as a factor of airway remodeling in chronic respiratory diseases with bronchial obstruction syndrome (review)
This review summarizes and analyzes the results of modern experimental studies indicating the involvement of mechanical stress as an independent key factor in the formation of airway remodeling in patients with chronic obstructive lung diseases, in particular asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The mechanisms modulating the structural changes of the respiratory tract are described at the level of the respiratory epithelium, fibroblasts, and smooth muscle cells. Attention is paid to possible molecular mechanisms mediating the effect of mechanical stress on the respiratory tract under conditions of increased bronchial resistance. Possible participation of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels with mechanoreceptor properties in the process of remodeling is reviewed. These channels are widely expressed in the respiratory tract and can affect the formation of structural changes in the bronchial wall in asthma and COPD under the influence of mechanical forces leading to tissue deformation. To date, there are no effective pharmacotherapy agents that may prevent airway remodeling in patients with asthma and COPD, what makes the study of the role of the mechanoreceptors in this pathological process extremely relevant.