S2: Airway Pharmacology Flashcards
What is the difference between physiology and pathophysiology?
Physiology is how tissue/organ functions in health
Pathophysiology is how tissue/organ functions in disease
What can drugs do in respiratory disease?
They can treat/reduce the severity of symptoms
- Reverse airway smooth muscle contraction
- Reduce mucus secretion
- Reduce allergic inflammation of the airways
- Reduce sensitivity to irritiating stimuli (cough)
Treating symptoms can be the difference between life and death
What can’t drugs do in respiratory disease?
They can’t heal, cure or resolve underlying cause of the pathology
- Resolve cause of inflammation
- Reverse airway/lung remodelling
- Repair damage to tissues
Describe the aspects of an diseased airway e.g. during asthma that can be treated with drugs
During an asthma attack, inflammatory mediators induce pathological changes to the airway.
- Contraction of smooth muscle
- Excess mucus secretion
- Oedema/swelling
- Irritation of sensory neurones (cough)
These changes in diseased airway combine to decrease the size of airway lumen, increase airway resistance and limit airflow (obstructing the airways and hence generating symptoms).
Name three types of bronchodilators
- Beta-2 adrenergic receptor agonists
- Long acting muscarinic receptor antagonists
- Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors
What are the 3 types of B2-agonists and give examples
Short acting (SABA) - e.g. salbutamol
Long acting (LABA) e.g. salmeterol
Ultra-long acting (ultra-LABA) e.g. Indacaterol
Name a Long-acting muscarinic receptor antagonists
Tiotropium
Name a phosphodiesterase inhibitor
Theophylline
How do bronchodilators act?
Bronchodilators act by relaxing airway smooth muscle cells
This increases luminal area, decreases resistance therefore increasing air flow
Explain the mechanism of airway smooth muscle contraction (ASMC)
Inflammatory mediators induce ASMC
- Contractile mediators e.g. cysLTs, ACh, PGs
- These bind to GPCRs e.g. M3
- Gq pathway activates intracellular signalling pathways (PIP2 –> DAG + IP3)
- SR releases Ca2+ causing increased calcium mobilisation and sensitivity
- Muscle contraction occurs
Explain the mechanism of B2- agonists as bronchodilators
- Beta 2 agonist e.g. salbutamol
- They bind to the GPCR : b2 adrenoreceptor
- Gs pathway activated
- Positively associated by adenyl cyclase which converts ATP to cAMP
- cAMP activated Protein Kinase A
- PKA inhibits MLCK
- Decrease Ca2+ mobilisation and sensitivity which leads to muscle relaxation
Explain the mechanism of Phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors as bronchodilators
Phosphodiesterase inhibitors relax ASMCs by inhibiting cAMP metabolism and increasing its levels
- PDE inhibitors inhibits the enzyme PDE
- This prevents the breakdown of cAMP to AMP
- Increase levels of cAMP increases PKA
- PKA inhibits MLCK
- Relaxation
Explain the mechanism of Muscarinic receptor antagonists in bronchodilation
- Muscarinic receptor antagonists relax ASMCs by inhibiting the contractile effects of ACh at the M3 receptor
- The M3 receptor in ASM is contractile
- If inhibited contraction can’t occur as ACh cannot bind
However only inhibits ACh mediated contraction
Why is muscarinic receptor agonists less effective than B2 agonists?
It is less effective than B2 agonist as it isn’t inhibiting contraction, just acetyl choline mediated contractions. There are other stimuli that cause smooth muscle contraction that muscarinic receptor agonists do not affect.
What is the pharmalogical treatment for mucus secretion?
LAMAs (long acting muscarininc receptors) reduce mucus secretion by inhibiting M3-mediated mucus gland activation
Explain the mechanism of LAMAs in treating mucus secretion
Irritation of respiratory structures (epithelium) activate sensory neurones that innervates these structures. It sends a signal to the CNS that has a reflex arc that causes cough (motor neurones –>contraction –> cough).
Also, there is activation of cholinergic (PNS) fibres that innervate mucus glands releasing Ach that bind to M3 receptors stimulating mucus glands to produce more mucus.
LAMAs act by blocking Ach at M3 receptors (Muscarinic receptor antagonist)