What are the different muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes andhow are they distributed in the airways and molecular signallingmechanisms? What is their function in neurogenic and non-neurogeniccontrol of the airways and in inflammatory mechanisms? How is their geneexpression regulated? The great importance of muscarinic acetylcholinereceptors for the pathophysiology and treatment of chronic inflammatoryobstructive airways diseases calls for a comprehensive and integratedoverview of the current knowledge to address such questions, to discussthe role of these receptor subtypes in diseases such as asthma and COPD,and to present novel perspectives on antimuscarinic drug development.The present book is the worthy result of this need. It points outinnovative insights into the hitherto poorly understood role ofpostjunctional muscarinic M2 receptors in airway smooth musclecontraction and sheds some light on the novel concepts of antimuscarinicdrug development, with special reference to the l
