The interaction between the airway epithelium and the inhaled environment is crucial to
understanding the pathobiology of asthma. Several studies have identified an important role
of airway epithelial-derived cytokines, IL-25, IL-33, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP)
in asthma pathogenesis. These cytokines have been described as epithelial-derived
alarmins that activate and potentiate the innate and humoral arms of the immune system in
the presence of actual or perceived damage. Each of the three epithelial-derived alarmins …