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Full-Text Articles in Pharmacology
Examining The Regulation Of Kv7 K+ Channels In Airway Smooth Muscle Cells And Their Potential As Novel Therapeutic Targets For The Treatment Of Asthma, Jennifer Haick
Dissertations
Asthma is a disease characterized by nonspecific and exaggerated airway narrowing, termed airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), which involves the excessive contraction of airway smooth muscle. Despite the fact that airway smooth muscle is widely studied and understood to play a role in AHR, little is known about the specifics of that role. Our laboratory recently found that Kv7 potassium (K+) channels are expressed in airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs). Kv7 channels are voltage sensitive K+ channels whose outward flux of K+ ions promotes a negative resting membrane voltage in excitable cells, thereby opposing electrical excitability. Inhibition of K+ channels is known …
Kv7 K+ Channels In Airway Smooth Muscle Cells As Target For Asthma Therapy, Priyanka Prakash Kakad
Kv7 K+ Channels In Airway Smooth Muscle Cells As Target For Asthma Therapy, Priyanka Prakash Kakad
Master's Theses
Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is an important etiological feature of asthma, the molecular mechanisms of which are poorly understood, thus preventing development of specific and effective therapies. We investigate the role played by Kv7 voltage-activated potassium channels in the pathophysiology of AHR and evaluate the significance of their regulation in treatment of asthma. Our studies provide the first evidence for expression of multiple Kv7 channels in guinea pig and human airways and demonstrate that the expression of Kv7 channels is reduced in allergen-sensitized guinea pig airways. Our ex vivo functional studies reveal that clinically available Kv7 channel activators attenuate the bronchoconstrictor …