In addition to cholinergic neural mechanisms, airway tone is influenced by adrenergic mechanisms and by more recently described neural mechanisms which are non-adrenergic and non-cholinergic (NANC). Sympathetic innervation to human airways is very sparse and there is no functional adrenergic innervation of smooth muscle, although sympathetic fibres may supply ganglia, submucosal glands and bronchial vessels. Airway tone may be influenced by circulating adrenaline and there is some evidence that adrenaline secretion may be impaired in asthma. beta-Adrenoceptors (which are almost entirely of the beta 2-subtype) are localized to many cell types in airways and beta-agonist may be beneficial in airway obstruction, not only by directly relaxing airway smooth muscle (from trachea to terminal bronchioles), but by inhibiting mast cell mediator release, by modulating cholinergic nerves, by reducing bronchial oedema and by reversing the defect in mucociliary clearance. There is little evidence that beta-receptor function is impaired in asthma. Alpha-adrenoceptors, which are bronchoconstrictor, may be activated by inflammatory mediators and disease, and alpha-agonists cause bronchoconstriction in asthmatic patients. However, alpha-antagonists have little effect, which questions the role of alpha-receptors in asthma. NANC nerves which relax human airways have been demonstrated in vitro. Although the neurotransmitter is not certain, there is now convincing evidence that it may be vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and a related peptide histidine methionine (PHM). VIP and PHM immuno-active nerves are found in human airways, and both peptides potently relay human airways in vitro (but not in vivo because of diffusion and metabolism problems).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)