What are the different muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes and
how are they distributed in the airways and molecular signalling
mechanisms? What is their function in neurogenic and non-neurogenic
control of the airways and in inflammatory mechanisms? How is their gene
expression regulated? The great importance of muscarinic acetylcholine
receptors for the pathophysiology and treatment of chronic inflammatory
obstructive airways diseases calls for a comprehensive and integrated
overview of the current knowledge to address such questions, to discuss
the role of these receptor subtypes in diseases such as asthma and COPD,
and to present novel perspectives on antimuscarinic drug development.
The present book is the worthy result of this need. It points out
innovative insights into the hitherto poorly understood role of
postjunctional muscarinic M2 receptors in airway smooth muscle
contraction and sheds some light on the novel concepts of antimuscarinic
drug development, with special reference to the l