Abstract
For a long time it had been believed that β2-adrenergic receptor agonists used in the treatment of obstructive airways diseases primarily work on airway smooth muscle cells causing relaxation, whereas glucocorticoids primarily improve airway function via their anti-inflammatory action, indicating that their clinical synergism occurs at the organism rather than the cellular level. However, it is now becoming clear that both drug classes can affect airway function at multiple levels including an integrated effect on several cell types. This manuscript summarizes data on the molecular interaction between the two receptor systems, particularly with relevance to phenomena of β2-adrenergic receptor desensitization and glucocorticoid insensitivity in the airways. These molecular interactions may contribute to the observed clinical synergism between both drug classes in the treatment of obstructive airway diseases.
- Received September 2, 2011.
- Revision received September 13, 2011.
- Accepted September 13, 2011.
- The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics