Time-of-Day Variation in Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Asthma: Potential Circadian Mechanisms and Translational Implications.
- 1The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Abstract
Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is a key physiological feature of asthma and contributes to excessive airway narrowing in response to diverse stimuli. Although asthma-related airway physiology exhibits marked temporal variation, whether AHR itself is independently regulated by the endogenous circadian clock remains unclear. In this narrative review, we summarize current evidence on the definition and temporal phenotype of AHR, with particular emphasis on distinguishing clock-time variation from endogenous circadian regulation and on direct evidence from bronchial provocation studies. We further discuss potential mechanisms linking circadian biology to AHR, including neuroendocrine and autonomic gating, epithelial-immune temporal coupling, airway smooth muscle reactivity, and metabolic and redox regulation. Current evidence supports substantial time dependence of asthma-related airway physiology, whereas direct evidence for an intrinsic circadian rhythm of AHR in humans remains limited with mechanistic insights derived predominantly from animal, ex vivo, and cellular studies. We also review time-dependent treatment strategies, particularly inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) administration, while distinguishing clinically investigated dosing schedules from experimental clock-targeted interventions. Overall, circadian biology provides a framework for understanding temporal variation in AHR and may inform future approaches to phenotyping and treatment timing; however, circadian-based AHR management and clock-targeted therapies remain investigational and require validation in well-controlled human studies.
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BibTeX
@article{zhou2026timeofday,
title = {{Time-of-Day Variation in Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Asthma: Potential Circadian Mechanisms and Translational Implications.}},
author = {Chang Zhou and Xinyue Hu and Lijuan Zeng and Yi Tang and Chuxian Yi and Guomin Zhang and Sujuan Peng},
journal = {Clinical and translational allergy},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1002/clt2.70221},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42998305},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Time-of-Day Variation in Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Asthma: Potential Circadian Mechanisms and Translational Implications.
AU - Chang Zhou
AU - Xinyue Hu
AU - Lijuan Zeng
AU - Yi Tang
AU - Chuxian Yi
AU - Guomin Zhang
AU - Sujuan Peng
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - Clinical and translational allergy
DO - 10.1002/clt2.70221
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42998305
AB - Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is a key physiological feature of asthma and contributes to excessive airway narrowing in response to diverse stimuli. Although asthma-related airway physiology exhibits marked temporal variation, whether AHR itself is independently regulated by the endogenous circadian clock remains unclear. In this narrative review, we summarize current evidence on the definition and temporal phenotype of AHR, with particular emphasis on distinguishing clock-time variation from endogenous circadian regulation and on direct evidence from bronchial provocation studies. We further discuss potential mechanisms linking circadian biology to AHR, including neuroendocrine and autonomic gating, epithelial-immune temporal coupling, airway smooth muscle reactivity, and metabolic and redox regulation. Current evidence supports substantial time dependence of asthma-related airway physiology, whereas direct evidence for an intrinsic circadian rhythm of AHR in humans remains limited with mechanistic insights derived predominantly from animal, ex vivo, and cellular studies. We also review time-dependent treatment strategies, particularly inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) administration, while distinguishing clinically investigated dosing schedules from experimental clock-targeted interventions. Overall, circadian biology provides a framework for understanding temporal variation in AHR and may inform future approaches to phenotyping and treatment timing; however, circadian-based AHR management and clock-targeted therapies remain investigational and require validation in well-controlled human studies.
SN - 2045-7022
ER -