Asthma is a chronic obstructive airway disease characterised by airway
hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and airway wall remodelling. The effector of airway narrowing
is the contraction of airway smooth muscle (ASM), yet the question of whether an inherent or
acquired dysfunction in ASM contractile function plays a significant role in the disease
pathophysiology remains contentious. The difficulty in determining the role of ASM lies in
limitations with the models used to assess contraction. In vivo models provide a fully …