Bibliography: leaves 217-244. Tachykinins are implicated in the mediation of airway inflammatory responses and may have roles in airway remodeling and healing. The actions of tachykinins are mediated by specific receptors, designated NK1, NK2 and NK3. Tachykinin degredation, an important mechanism for limiting the effects of these peptides, is principally mediated by neutral endopeptidase (NEP). This thesis investigates the role of tachykinins, in vivo, in an ovine model and in human airway epithelium. Results show that the nett effect of tachykinins in the airway will depend on the relative balance between the expression of receptors, tachykinins and NEP. Assessment of these molecules in the airway epithelium from subjects with normal lungs or chronic bronchitis showed that preprotachykinin-A gene expression was relatively higher in the disease group whereas NEP and NK1 receptor levels were unchanged. These studies provide new insights into the role of tachykinins in airways disease.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/100076 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Reynolds, Paul N. (Paul Nigel) |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Relation | SUA |
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