Histamine may induce airway remodeling through release of epidermal growth factor receptor ligands from bronchial epithelial cells

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that is associated with airway remodeling, including hyperplasia of airway epithelial cells and airway smooth muscle cells, and goblet cell differentiation. We wished to address the potential role of histamine, a key biogenic amine involved in allergic reactions, in airway remodeling through the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway. Here, we demonstrate that histamine releases 2 EGFR ligands, amphiregulin and heparin‐binding epidermal growth factor‐like growth factor (HB‐EGF), from airway epithelial cells. Amphiregulin and HB‐EGF were expressed in airway epithelium of patients with asthma. Histamine up‐regulated their mRNA expression (amphiregulin 3.2‐fold, P< 0.001; HB‐EGF 2.3‐fold, P