Research progress of autophagy in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma

Asthma is a complex chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by chronic airway inflammation, hyperreactivity, and remodeling. Autophagy is responsible for lysosomal degradation through intracellular degradation when the proteasome cannot destroy damaged cytoplasmic organelles and proteins. Plenty of studies have shown that both impaired and overactive autophagic processes concern the pathogenesis of cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolically associated diseases, and immune system diseases. Autophagy also plays both protective and damaging roles in the pathogenesis of asthma. To better understand the pathogenesis of asthma, this review will concentrate on the roles that autophagy plays in airway inflammation, immunological response, and remodeling. It will cover new advances and potential therapies on the role of autophagy in the onset and development of human asthma. This will contribute to the strategy for developing new targets to treat this disease.