Role of relaxin in regulation of fibrosis in the lung: Implications for airway remodeling in asthma

Abstract

Airway remodeling changes are a key pathological feature of asthma. They are associated with airway hyperresponsiveness and fixed airway obstruction. Aged, relaxin-deficient mice display structural changes resembling airway remodeling in asthma, including thickening of the bronchial epithelium and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in the subepithelial region. Relaxin-deficient mice also have exaggerated airway remodeling in models of allergic airway disease compared to wild-type controls. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have suggested that airway fibrosis may drive other changes of airway remodeling, including epithelial changes. A suggested paradigm is that subepithelial fibrosis (dep..