Obesity, smooth muscle, and airway hyperresponsiveness

• Published in: Journal of allergy and clinical immunology Vol. 115; no. 5; pp. 925 - 927
• Main Authors: Shore, Stephanie A., Fredberg, Jeffrey J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01.05.2005; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adiponectin; Animals; Asthma; Asthma - etiology; Asthma - physiopathology; Biological and medical sciences; Body mass index; Cytokines - physiology; Diabetes; Functional Residual Capacity; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Humans; Immunopathology; inflammation; Inflammation - physiopathology; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - physiology; Leptin; Leptin - physiology; Lungs; Medical sciences; Muscle, Smooth - physiopathology; Obesity; Obesity - complications; Obesity - physiopathology; plasminogen activator inhibitor; Plasminogen Activators - antagonists & inhibitors; Plasminogen Activators - physiology; Respiratory system; Respiratory System - physiopathology; Risk factors; Rodents; Smooth muscle; Studies; TNF; Weight control; United States > US; adiponectin; inflammation; Leptin; PAI-1; AHR; OVA; plasminogen activator inhibitor; TNF; BMI; Immunopathology; Obesity; Hyperreactivity; Cytokine; Nutrition disorder; Smooth muscle; Inflammation; Respiratory system; Adiponectin; Respiratory tract; Immunology; Activator; Tumor necrosis factor; Inhibitor; Plasminogen; Nutritional status
• ISSN: 0091-6749; 1097-6825
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2005.01.064

Both asthma and obesity are large and growing public health issues. Mounting evidence now implicates obesity as a major risk factor for asthma, thus linking these 2 major epidemics. Moreover, both in human subjects and in mice, obesity appears to predispose toward airway hyperresponsiveness. This review describes potential mechanisms whereby obesity might modify airway smooth muscle function to explain these observations. These mechanisms include both static and dynamic mechanical factors attributable to decreases in functional residual capacity and decreases in tidal volume that are observed in the obese. They include also obesity-related changes in lung development, chronic systemic inflammation (including increased serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines), and adipocyte-derived factors, including leptin, adiponectin, and plasminogen activator inhibitor.