TY - JOUR T1 - Do long-acting β<sub>2</sub>-adrenoceptor agonists enhance the anti-inflammatory effect of glucocorticoids in asthma? JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 1059 LP - 1061 DO - 10.1183/09031936.01.00092301 VL - 17 IS - 6 AU - A.J. Knox AU - Y.M. Zhu AU - L. Pang Y1 - 2001/06/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/17/6/1059.abstract N2 - Airway inflammation is a central feature in the pathophysiology of asthma and cytokine networks play a fundamental role in the chronic inflammatory process. Anti-inflammatory treatment with inhaled corticosteroids provides the mainstay of asthma management in conjunction with bronchodilator therapy. Short-acting β2-adrenoceptor agonists have been used as bronchodilator treatment in asthma for decades and whilst these agents produce useful bronchodilatation through airway smooth muscle relaxation, concerns were raised for several years that they may have deleterious pro-inflammatory effects when given on their own. Short-acting β2-agonists can cause a rebound increase in bronchial responsiveness after cessation of therapy 1 and regular salbutamol use can increase the early response to allergen 2. A number of recent clinical studies, however, particularly with long-acting β2-agonists have contradicted the established dogma that β2-agonists are potentially harmful and may mask underlying inflammation 3–7. Studies with long-acting β2-agonists have shown that when these drugs are given in conjunction with inhaled steroids, they produce beneficial effects on symptoms, airflow and asthma exacerbations 3–7. Whilst these findings may reflect the fact that the best treatment for asthma is to combine an anti-inflammatory drug with a long-acting airway smooth muscle relaxant, they raise the intriguing possibility that there is a beneficial interaction between long-acting β2-adrenoceptor agonists and corticosteroids on part of the inflammatory process.There are a number of in vitro studies which suggest potential anti-inflammatory actions of β2-adrenoceptor agonists which may be complementary or even synergistic with the actions of corticosteroids and the manuscript in this issue by Korn et al. … ER -