Human and rat airway smooth muscle responsiveness after ozone exposure in vitro

1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (4) ◽  
pp. L631-L636 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Roux ◽  
C. Guibert ◽  
H. Crevel ◽  
J. P. Savineau ◽  
R. Marthan

We previously reported that NO2 and acrolein administered ex vivo to the lung altered the subsequent responsiveness of airway smooth muscle. The aim of this study was to determine the dose-response relationship for O3 in both human isolated bronchi and rat tracheae and to investigate the mechanisms underlying O3-induced airway responsiveness. Exposure to 1 ppm O3 for 15 min significantly increased the maximal response to carbachol of rat tracheal rings to 149.6 +/- 5.4% of the reference response to acetylcholine (ACh) compared with that of unexposed rings (131.3 +/- 2.4%, n = 6, P < 0.05). The change in maximal airway responsiveness to carbachol, when plotted against the product of exposure concentration and exposure time to O3, a surrogate for the dose, formed a bell-shaped curve. The peak of this dose-response curve was shifted to the right for human bronchi (50 ppm x min, n = 5) compared with that of rat tracheae (15 ppm x min, n = 6). In the rat trachea, responses to KCl were not altered by O3, whereas those to 5-hydroxytryptamine hydrochloride (5-HT) were significantly increased. Finally, in the absence of external Ca2+, O3 exposure still potentiated the maximal response to carbachol from 73.6 +/- 13.9 to 137.0 +/- 6.0% and that to 5-HT from 21.5 +/- 5.5 to 38.7 +/- 2.2% of the reference ACh response. These results indicate that O3 alters the subsequent in vitro airway responsiveness depending on 1) the dose, 2) the nature of the agonist, and 3) the species investigated. Because in vitro exposure to O3 increases responses to agonists that release intracellular Ca2+ and since this effect is maintained in Ca(2+)-free solution, the mechanism of O3-induced increase in airway smooth muscle responsiveness is likely to involve an enhancement in intracellular Ca2+ release.

1988 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 323-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Badier ◽  
M. Soler ◽  
M. Mallea ◽  
S. Delpierre ◽  
J. Orehek

The airway and systemic arterial smooth muscle responsiveness to cholinergic agents of two strains of rats, Rat Albino (RA) and Brown Norway (BN), was compared in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, we measured the doses of carbachol that induced a 100% increase in lung resistance (PD100 RL), a 50% decrease in dynamic lung compliance (PD50 Cdyn), and the value of systolic blood pressure at the carbachol dose of 10 micrograms (Pa 10 micrograms). In vitro airway smooth muscle and systemic arterial smooth muscle responsiveness was assessed by measuring the maximal response to acetylcholine, the slope of the linear portion of the dose-response curve, and the negative logarithm of the molar concentration of acetylcholine producing 50% of the maximal response (pD2). PD100 and PD50 were about four times greater in BN rats than in RA rats. In contrast, Pa 10 micrograms was 1.5 lower in the BN rats. These differences persisted after bivagotomy. Tracheal pD2 was 25% greater in the RA than in the BN strain. The mean dose-response curve of parenchymal strips of RA rats was situated upward and to the left of the BN curve, but the reverse was observed for aortic smooth muscle dose-response curves. Thus 1) airway smooth muscle responsiveness to cholinergic agents is greater in RA strain than in BN, but the reverse is true for systemic arterial smooth muscle responsiveness; and 2) these differences are not due to factors extrinsic to the smooth muscle, since they occurred in vitro and may depend on different densities of muscarinic receptors.


2017 ◽  
Vol 312 (3) ◽  
pp. L348-L357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan Gazzola ◽  
Katherine Lortie ◽  
Cyndi Henry ◽  
Samuel Mailhot-Larouche ◽  
David G. Chapman ◽  
...  

Force adaptation, a process whereby sustained spasmogenic activation (viz., tone) of airway smooth muscle (ASM) increases its contractile capacity, has been reported in isolated ASM tissues in vitro, as well as in mice in vivo. The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of tone on airway responsiveness in humans. Ten healthy volunteers underwent methacholine challenge on two occasions. One challenge consisted of six serial doses of saline followed by a single high dose of methacholine. The other consisted of six low doses of methacholine 5 min apart followed by a higher dose. The cumulative dose was identical for both challenges. After both methacholine challenges, subjects took a deep inspiration (DI) to total lung capacity as another way to probe ASM mechanics. Responses to methacholine and the DI were measured using a multifrequency forced oscillation technique. Compared with a single high dose, the challenge preceded by tone led to an elevated response measured by respiratory system resistance (Rrs) and reactance at 5 Hz. However, there was no difference in the increase in Rrs at 19 Hz, suggesting a predominant effect on smaller airways. Increased tone also reduced the efficacy of DI, measured by an attenuated maximal dilation during the DI and an increased renarrowing post-DI. We conclude that ASM tone increases small airway responsiveness to inhaled methacholine and reduces the effectiveness of DI in healthy humans. This suggests that force adaptation may contribute to airway hyperresponsiveness and the reduced bronchodilatory effect of DI in asthma.


1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 805-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Tomioka ◽  
J. T. Jackowski ◽  
W. M. Abraham

We have investigated the effects of leukotrienes (LTs) on isolated tracheal smooth muscle from sheep sensitive to Ascaris suum antigen. LTC4 and LTD4 produced dose-dependent contractions of sheep trachea, but LTE4 was virtually inactive. YM-17690, a non-analogous LT agonist, produced no contractile response up to 100 μM. Indomethacin (5 μM) had no effect on LTC4- and LTD4-induced contractions. L-Serine borate (45 mM), an inhibitor of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, shifted the dose–response curve of LTC4 to the left by 161-fold, and L-cysteine (6 mM), an inhibitor of aminopeptidase, shifted the dose–response curves of LTC4 and LTD4 to the left by 67- and 23-fold, respectively. YM-16638 (1 μM), an LT antagonist, shifted the dose–response curves of LTC4 and LTD4 to the right with pKB values of 6.57 and 7.13, respectively. YM-16638 did not affect LTC4-induced contractions of L-serine borate-treated tissues, indicating that the compound acts only on LTD4 receptors in sheep trachea. LTE4 (1 μM) shifted the dose–response curves of LTC4 and LTD4 to the right with pKB values of 6.87 and 7.31, respectively. YM-17690 (10 μM) showed effects similar to LTE4, suggesting that the compound acts as an LTE4 agonist in sheep trachea. These results suggest that in sheep tracheal smooth muscle (a) LTC4 and LTD4 produce contractions, (b) these LT-induced contractions are not mediated by cyclooxygenase products, (c) LTC4 is converted to LTD4 and then to LTE4, and (d) the potency of the LTC4- and LTD4-induced contractions is increased when their conversion to LTE4 is inhibited. This potentiation may result from the inability of LTE4 to contract sheep trachea and (or) its antagonist actions.Key words: leukotriene antagonist, receptors, asthma.


1979 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 330-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Niewoehner ◽  
H. Campe ◽  
S. Duane ◽  
T. McGowan ◽  
M. R. Montgomery

Airway smooth muscle preparations from various sites and species exhibit a range of sensitivities to the same beta-adrenergic agonist. This variability has been attributed to beta-receptor function but the exact mechanism determining the response has not been identified. After first inducing contraction with acetylcholine, we measured isoproterenol and theophylline relaxation responses in five separate airway smooth muscle preparations in vitro. The order of sensitivity was identical for both drugs: guinea pig trachea greater than dog lung strip greater than dog bronchiole greater than rat trachea greater than dog trachea. Because of evidence that both drugs act by increasing adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) concentrations, we utilized a kinetic model of cAMP metabolism to investigate the possibility that the identical order of sensitivity to both drugs could be explained by a common mechanism. Relaxation responses to both drugs are in accord with known kinetic data. Small differences in the velocity constants of enzymes affecting cAMP metabolism or differences in the relaxation response to the same concentrations of cAMP can fully explain the variable muscle responses to both drugs.


1993 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 738-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Moreno ◽  
C. Lisboa ◽  
J. C. Hogg ◽  
P. D. Pare

Airway smooth muscle can contract to 20% of its starting length when stimulated maximally and allowed to contract isotonically in vitro. In vivo airway smooth muscle contraction of this degree would result in widespread airway closure. We hypothesized that elastic loads related to cartilage stiffness and lung parenchyma-airway interdependence limit in vivo airway smooth muscle shortening. We measured pulmonary resistance in anesthetized tracheostomized New Zealand White rabbits before and after intravenous treatment with papain in a concentration that produced generalized cartilage softening. Papain treatment caused a significant increase in pulmonary resistance that was completely reversed by application of 4 cmH2O positive end-expiratory pressure and that was partially reversed by vagotomy. Papain pretreatment also resulted in a substantial alteration in the pulmonary resistance-dose relationship to intravenously administered acetylcholine. In addition, maximal resistance after the highest concentration of acetylcholine was greater in papain-treated animals than in the control animals, but the position of the dose-response relationship was not shifted (i.e., there was no change in the effective dose causing 50% maximal response). Application of 4 cmH2O positive end-expiratory pressure in untreated animals resulted in a marked decrease in the bronchoconstriction produced by an effective dose of acetylcholine causing 50% of maximal response, whereas application of 4 cmH2O negative end-expiratory pressure resulted in a marked enhancement of the bronchoconstrictor response to the same intravenous dose of acetylcholine. We conclude that cartilage elasticity and lung recoil are important determinants of the ability of airway smooth muscle to shorten and produce airway narrowing in vivo.


1995 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 428-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. N. Colasurdo ◽  
J. E. Loader ◽  
J. P. Graves ◽  
G. L. Larsen

We studied the mechanisms involved in the airway smooth muscle (ASM) contraction to substance P (SP) in normal (control) and allergen-sensitized (immune) rabbits as well as immune rabbits exposed to allergen via the airways (immune challenged). Cumulative concentration-response curves to SP (1 x 10(-9) to 1 x 10(-4) M) were performed in ASM segments in the absence and presence of atropine (10(-5) M) in vitro. The maximal contractile response (g tension/g tissue) at 10(-4) M SP and ASM contractions at various concentrations of SP were expressed as means +/- SE. We found no difference in the contractile response to SP between control and immune animals. ASM segments obtained from immune-challenged rabbits were more responsive to SP. Atropine shifted to the right the concentration-response curves and decreased the maximal ASM contraction at 10(-4) M SP in all three groups; this effect, however, was greater in immune-challenged tissues. These findings demonstrate an increased contractile response to SP in immune-challenged animals mediated by a more pronounced facilitation of cholinergic neurotransmission. We conclude that the final ASM response to SP is the result of a complex interaction between direct effects on ASM and indirect effects through modulation of cholinergic neurotransmission.


Author(s):  
Wenwu Zhang ◽  
Susan J. Gunst

The smooth muscle of the airways is exposed to continuously changing mechanical forces during normal breathing. The mechanical oscillations that occur during breathing have profound effects on airway tone and airway responsiveness both in experimental animals and humans in vivo and in isolated airway tissues in vitro. Experimental evidence suggests that alterations in the contractile and mechanical properties of airway smooth muscle tissues caused by mechanical perturbations result from adaptive changes in the organization of the cytoskeletal architecture of the smooth muscle cell. The cytoskeleton is a dynamic structure that undergoes rapid reorganization in response to external mechanical and pharmacologic stimuli. Contractile stimulation initiates the assembly of cytoskeletal/extracellular matrix adhesion complex proteins into large macromolecular signaling complexes (adhesomes) that undergo activation to mediate the polymerization and reorganization of a submembranous network of actin filaments at the cortex of the cell. Cortical actin polymerization is catalyzed by Neuronal-Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP) and the Arp2/3 complex, which are activated by pathways regulated by paxillin and the small GTPase, cdc42. These processes create a strong and rigid cytoskeletal framework that may serve to strengthen the membrane for the transmission of force generated by the contractile apparatus to the extracellular matrix, and to enable the adaptation of smooth muscle cells to mechanical stresses. This model for the regulation of airway smooth muscle function can provide novel perspectives to explain the normal physiologic behavior of the airways and pathophysiologic properties of the airways in asthma.


2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (4) ◽  
pp. L698-L705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Labonté ◽  
Muhannad Hassan ◽  
Paul-André Risse ◽  
Kimitake Tsuchiya ◽  
Michel Laviolette ◽  
...  

The effects of remodeling of airway smooth muscle (SM) by hyperplasia on airway SM contractility in vivo are poorly explored. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between allergen-induced airway SM hyperplasia and its contractile phenotype. Brown Norway rats were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) or saline on day 0 and then either OVA-challenged once on day 14 and killed 24 h later or OVA-challenged 3 times (on days 14, 19, and 24) and killed 2 or 7 days later. Changes in SM mass, expression of total myosin, SM myosin heavy chain fast isoform (SM-B) and myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), tracheal contractions ex vivo, and airway responsiveness to methacholine (MCh) in vivo were assessed. One day after a single OVA challenge, the number of SM cells positive for PCNA was greater than for control animals, whereas the SM mass, contractile phenotype, and tracheal contractility were unchanged. Two days after three challenges, SM mass and PCNA immunoreactive cells were increased (3- and 10-fold, respectively; P < 0.05), but airway responsiveness to MCh was unaffected. Lower expression in total myosin, SM-B, and MLCK was observed at the mRNA level ( P < 0.05), and total myosin and MLCK expression were lower at the protein level ( P < 0.05) after normalization for SM mass. Normalized tracheal SM force generation was also significantly lower 2 days after repeated challenges ( P < 0.05). Seven days after repeated challenges, features of remodeling were restored toward control levels. Allergen-induced hyperplasia of SM cells was associated with a loss of contractile phenotype, which was offset by the increase in mass.


1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 597-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Martin ◽  
A. Opazo-Saez ◽  
T. Du ◽  
R. Tepper ◽  
D. H. Eidelman

Airway responsiveness to methacholine and other bronchoconstrictors is highly variable within and among species. The aim of the experiments in this report was to evaluate the importance of the quantity of airway smooth muscle as a determinant of intra- and inter-species variability in airway responsiveness. To do this we established concentration–response curves to methacholine in a sample of normal guinea pigs as well as in rat, rabbit, and dog. After challenge we excised the lungs for the quantitation of smooth muscle by morphometry. Animals were anesthetized with pentobarbital and mechanically ventilated using a Harvard ventilator. Aerosols of methacholine were administered in progressively doubling concentrations from 0.0625 to 256 mg/mL for a period of 30 s for each concentration. The maximal response, determined from pulmonary resistance (RL), and the concentration of methacholine required to effect 50% of the maximal RL were determined. After provocation testing the lungs were removed and fixed with 10% Formalin. Midsagittal sections and parahilar sections were stained with hematoxylin–phloxine–saffron for microscopic examination of smooth muscle. The images of all airways in the sections were traced using a camera lucida side-arm attachment and digitized using commercial software. The area of the airway wall occupied by smooth muscle was determined and standardized for airway size by dividing it by the square of the epithelial basement membrane length. The variability in airway smooth muscle in the intraparenchymal airways was significantly greater between than within individual guinea pigs (n = 13). This was not true of extraparenchymal airways. There was a significant relationship between the quantity of airway smooth muscle in the intraparenchymal cartilaginous airways and the EC50 but not the maximal value of resistance (Rmax). In contrast there was a statistically significant positive correlation between Rmax and airway smooth muscle for all species. There was also a significant inverse correlation between EC50 and airway smooth muscle for all species. We conclude that airway smooth muscle appears to be an important determinant of inter-animal differences in sensitivity of guinea pigs to aerosolized methacholine. Smooth muscle also appears to be a determinant of interspecies differences in both sensitivity and maximal responses to methacholine.Key words: airways responsiveness, mechanical determinants, limited bronchoconstriction, methacholine, morphometry.


1996 ◽  
Vol 12 (4-6) ◽  
pp. 377-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Roux ◽  
J. P. Savineau ◽  
R. Marthan

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