Spina D
Department of Thoracic Medicine, King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK.
Thorax. 1996 Mar;51(3):335-7. doi: 10.1136/thx.51.3.335.
Asthmatic subjects cough and bronchoconstrict to various agents known to stimulate sensory nerves. A population of sensory nerves, the C fibres, contain the neuropeptides substance P, neurokinin A (NKA), and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Capsaicin, the principal ingredient of hot peppers, selectively stimulates C fibre afferents resulting in the release of these proinflammatory peptides. An upregulation in the function of sensory nerves may lead to augmented afferent and efferent function which, in asthma, could contribute to bronchial hyper-responsiveness, inflammation, and remodelling of the airway wall. Drugs specifically designed to attenuate the function of airway sensory nerves may prove useful in the treatment of asthma.
哮喘患者会对各种已知能刺激感觉神经的物质产生咳嗽和支气管收缩反应。一群感觉神经，即C纤维，含有神经肽P物质、神经激肽A（NKA）和降钙素基因相关肽（CGRP）。辣椒素是辣椒的主要成分，它能选择性地刺激C纤维传入神经，导致这些促炎肽的释放。感觉神经功能的上调可能导致传入和传出功能增强，在哮喘中，这可能导致支气管高反应性、炎症和气道壁重塑。专门设计用于减弱气道感觉神经功能的药物可能被证明对哮喘治疗有用。
