NOS3 and asthma: Data available from the present and previousstudies of our laboratory [8, 9] suggest that airwayepithelium may have an additional modulatory role in this process.As epithelium responds to stretch by modulating eNOS activity, andthus NO production with a consequent reduction of airwayresponsiveness, this protective mechanism could be impaired inepithelium damage seen in airways diseases in particular asthma[35].