Although bronchoconstriction caused by contraction of bron chiolar muscles is only one of several factors involved in asthma, drugs that induce relaxation of these muscles are frequently used in therapy. Agents that cause bronchiolar muscle relaxation may act by several different modes as suggested by the biochemical mechanism of smooth muscle relaxation (1). Such agents include a group of adrenergic receptor agonists. In mild and occasional episodic asthma, bronchoconstriction and its resultant symptoms are easily reversed by administration of effective β-adrenorecep tor activators. Such agents also find some utility in alleviation of respiratory distress in emphysema and bronchitis. Some more recent aspects of such adrenergic bronchodilators, i.e., compounds that are structurally related to the natural hormones and neuro transmitters norepinephrine (1a) and epinephrine (1b), are the subject of this review.Classification of adrenergic receptors into α and β subtypes (2) is now generally accepted. On the basis of differences in response to selective agonists (3, 4, 5) and antagonists (6, 7), Lands and his associates (3, 4, 5, 8) further subdivided the β receptors into two groups, i.e., β 1 and β 2 -drenoreceptors. Acti vation of β 2 -drenoreceptors causes relaxation of smooth muscle in bronchi, uterus and vasculature, decreases tension in some skele tal muscle, and mediates glycolysis and glycogenolysis.Responses mediated by interaction with 3i~adrenoreceptors are increased force and rate of contraction of cardiac muscle, dilation of coro nary blood vessels (9, 10), relaxation of smooth muscle in the alimentary tract, and lipolysis.Epinephrine, administered either by injection or inhalation, is still employed to relieve bronchoconstriction in bronchial asthma. Isoproterenol (lc), the prototype of 3-adrenergic recep tor agonists, because of its greater potency and selectivity has largely replaced epinephrine as an inhaled bronchodilator. This synthetic analog of epinephrine also lacks selectivity.It is almost equally effective in activating both βχ and $2~a c * rener gi c receptors. Thus, it not only produces a powerful bronchodilating 0-8412-0536-l/80/47-118-251$08.25/0