Asthma plasma leakage

As discussed in Section 3.3, few histopathological studies of asthma have focused specifically on the microvasculature. Nonetheless, there is evidence that neovascularization is one of the changes in the airways of asthmatics (Kuwano et al., 1991). This observation in potentially important because newly formed blood vessels may be abnormally leaky (Schoefl, 1967) or abnormally responsive to inflammatory mediators (McDonald, 1992). The plasma leakage that occurs in the airway mucosa of asthmatics could result from the heightened response of the mucosal blood vessels to inflammatory mediators. 

Selective 182-adrenergic receptor agonists (ft agonists) are widely used in the treatment of airway diseases such as asthma because of their bronchodilating action. In addition, ft agonists have anti-inflammatory effects, in that they can inhibit the release of inflammatory mediators and can decrease plasma leakage (Svensjo et al., 1977 Tomioka etal., 1981 Erjefalt and Persson, 1986 Barnes,... 

Erjefalt, I. and Persson, C.G.A. (1986). Anti-asthma drugs attenuate inflammatory leakage of plasma into airway lumen. Acta Physiol. Scand. 128, 653-654. 

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