The pharmacology of the respiratory epithelium

Abstract

The airway epithelium is composed of a heterogenous population of cells and investigations on the epithelium have realized a number of important functions. With increasing use of cell isolation techniques, the function of individual cells within the epithelium is currently under investigation which will assist in the understanding of the role of airway epithelium in health. It is known that epithelial damage and/or impairment of epithelial cell function is a consistent feature of some respiratory conditions and whether such damage contributes to the disease is also under investigation. This review will summarize the current literature on the function(s) of the epithelium and its possible role in respiratory disease.