In asthma, progressive structural changes of the airway wall are collectively termed airway remodelling. Despite its deleterious effect on lung function, airway remodelling is incompletely understood. As one of the important causes leading to airway remodelling, here we discuss the significance of mechanical forces that are produced in the narrowed airway during asthma exacerbation, as a driving force of airway remodelling. We cover in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo work in this field, and discuss up-to-date literature supporting the idea that bronchoconstriction may be the missing link in a comprehensive understanding of airway remodelling in asthma.

中文翻译：

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支气管收缩：气道重塑中潜在的缺失环节

在哮喘中，气道壁的渐进性结构变化统称为气道重塑。尽管对肺功能有有害影响，但气道重塑尚不完全清楚。作为导致气道重塑的重要原因之一，我们在此讨论哮喘发作期间狭窄气道中产生的机械力作为气道重塑驱动力的重要性。我们涵盖了该领域的体外、离体和体内工作，并讨论了支持支气管收缩可能是全面了解哮喘气道重塑的缺失环节这一观点的最新文献。