VPT 311: General and Systemic Veterinary Pharmacology (2+1)

BRONCHODILATORS

• Bronchodilators cause the smooth muscle of the airways to relax and can therefore contribute significantly to the relief of dyspnoea and the removal of the stimulus for coughing.
• Bronchodilators are of therapeutic relevance in the management of respiratory disease accompanied by coughing and dyspnoea.
• Most drugs that induce bronchodilatation also reduce inflammation.
• Bronchodilators reverse airway smooth muscle contraction by increasing the cAMP, decreasing cGMP or decreasing calcium ion concentrations.
• In addition these drugs also decrease mucosal oedema and are anti-inflammatory because they tend to prevent mediator release from inflammatory cells.