Mast cell chymase suppresses functional parameters in primary human airway smooth muscle cells.

This article, published in the journal Allergy, explores the impact of mast cell proteases, specifically chymase and β-tryptase, on primary human airway smooth muscle cells (SMCs). The study found that chymase suppressed the metabolic activity and proliferation of SMCs, as well as partially suppressed SMC contraction. Chymase also caused remodeling of the cytoskeleton and degradation of fibronectin and tight junction proteins in SMCs. These findings suggest that chymase may have a dampening effect on airway SMCs and could potentially play a role in asthma development. The study was supported by various research grants and the authors declare no conflicts of interest. [Extracted from the article]