Synergistic interactions between airway afferent nerve subtypes mediating reflex bronchospasm in guinea pigs

2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (1) ◽  
pp. R86-R98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart B. Mazzone ◽  
Brendan J. Canning

The hypothesis that airway afferent nerve subtypes act synergistically to initiate reflex bronchospasm in guinea pigs was addressed. Laryngeal mucosal application of capsaicin or bradykinin or the epithelial lipoxygenase metabolite 15( S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid evoked slowly developing but pronounced and sustained increases in tracheal cholinergic tone in situ. These reflexes were reversed by atropine and prevented by vagotomy, trimethaphan, or laryngeal denervation. Central nervous system-acting neurokinin receptor antagonists also abolished the reflexes without altering baseline cholinergic tone. Baseline tone was, however, reversed by disrupting pulmonary afferent innervation while preserving the innervation of the trachea and larynx. Surprisingly, selective pulmonary denervation also prevented the laryngeal capsaicin-induced tracheal reflexes, suggesting that laryngeal C-fibers act synergistically with continuously active intrapulmonary mechanoreceptors to initiate reflex bronchospasm. Indeed, reflex bronchospasm evoked by histamine was markedly potentiated by bradykinin, an effect mimicked by intracerebroventricular, but not intravenous, substance P. These data, as well as anatomic evidence for afferent nerve subtype convergence in the commissural nucleus of the solitary tract, suggest that airway nociceptors and mechanoreceptors may act synergistically to regulate airway tone.

2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (5) ◽  
pp. R1572-R1584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang-Ling Chou ◽  
Mark D. Scarupa ◽  
Nanako Mori ◽  
Brendan J. Canning

The hypothesis that respiratory reflexes, such as cough, reflect the net and often opposing effects of activation of multiple afferent nerve subpopulations throughout the airways was evaluated. Laryngeal and tracheal mucosal challenge with either citric acid or mechanical probing reliably evoked coughing in anesthetized guinea pigs. No other stimulus reliably evoked coughing in these animals, regardless of route of administration and despite some profound effects on respiration. Selectively activating vagal C-fibers arising from the nodose ganglia with either adenosine or 2-methyl-5-HT evoked only tachypnea. Selectively activating vagal afferents arising from the jugular ganglia induced respiratory slowing and apnea. Nasal afferent nerve activation by capsaicin, citric acid, hypertonic saline, or histamine evoked only respiratory slowing. Histamine, which activates intrapulmonary rapidly adapting receptors but not airway or lung C-fibers or tracheal bronchial cough receptors induced bronchospasm and tachypnea, but no coughing. The results indicate that the reflexes initiated by stimuli thought to be selective for some afferent nerve subtypes will likely depend on the net and potentially opposing effects of multiple afferent nerve subpopulations throughout the airways. The data also provide further evidence that the afferent nerves regulating cough in anesthetized guinea pigs are distinct from either C-fibers or intrapulmonary rapidly adapting receptors.


2013 ◽  
Vol 304 (11) ◽  
pp. R1017-R1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukiko Muroi ◽  
Fei Ru ◽  
Yang-Ling Chou ◽  
Michael J. Carr ◽  
Bradley J. Undem ◽  
...  

Adeno-associated virus delivery systems and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) were used to selectively silence the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV 1.7 in the nodose ganglia of guinea pigs. The cough reflex in these animals was subsequently assessed. NaV 1.7 shRNA was delivered to the majority of nodose ganglia neurons [50–60% transfection rate determined by green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene cotransfection] and action potential conduction in the nodose vagal nerve fibers, as evaluated using an extracellular recording technique, was markedly and significantly reduced. By contrast, <5% of neurons in the jugular vagal ganglia neurons were transfected, and action potential conduction in the jugular vagal nerve fibers was unchanged. The control virus (with GFP expression) was without effect on action potential discharge and conduction in either ganglia. In vivo, NaV 1.7 silencing in the nodose ganglia nearly abolished cough evoked by mechanically probing the tracheal mucosa in anesthetized guinea pigs. Stimuli such as capsaicin and bradykinin that are known to stimulate both nodose and jugular C-fibers evoked coughing in conscious animals was unaffected by NaV 1.7 silencing in the nodose ganglia. Nodose C-fiber selective stimuli including adenosine, 2-methyl-5-HT, and ATP all failed to evoke coughing upon aerosol challenge. These results indicate that cough is independently regulated by two vagal afferent nerve subtypes in guinea pigs, with nodose Aδ fibers regulating cough evoked mechanically from the trachea and bradykinin- and capsaicin-evoked cough regulated by C-fibers arising from the jugular ganglia.


2011 ◽  
Vol 300 (2) ◽  
pp. R369-R377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan J. Canning ◽  
Nanako Mori

We have previously described the physiological and morphological properties of the cough receptors and their sites of termination in the airways and centrally in the nucleus tractus solitarius (nTS). In the present study, we have addressed the hypothesis that the primary central synapses of the cough receptors subserve an essential role in the encoding of cough. We found that cough requires sustained, high-frequency (≥8-Hz) afferent nerve activation. We also found evidence for processes that both facilitate (summation, sensitization) and inhibit the initiation of cough. Sensitization of cough occurs with repetitive subthreshold activation of the cough receptors or by coincident activation of C-fibers and/or nTS neurokinin receptor activation. Desensitization of cough evoked by repetitive and/or continuous afferent nerve activation has a rapid onset (<60 s) and does not differentiate between tussive stimuli, suggesting a central nervous system-dependent process. The cough reflex can also be actively inhibited upon activation of other airway afferent nerve subtypes, including slowly adapting receptors and pulmonary C-fibers. The sensitization and desensitization of cough are likely attributable to the prominent, primary, and unique role of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-dependent signaling at the central synapses of the cough receptors. These attributes may have direct relevance to the presentation of cough in disease and for the effectiveness of antitussive therapies.


2001 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 2642-2653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan J. Canning ◽  
Sandra M. Reynolds ◽  
Stuart B. Mazzone

The mechanisms of histamine- and bradykinin-induced reflex bronchospasm were determined in anesthetized guinea pigs. With intravenous administration, both autacoids evoked dose-dependent increases in tracheal cholinergic tone. Vagotomy or atropine prevented these tracheal reflexes. When delivered as an aerosol, bradykinin readily increased tracheal cholinergic tone, whereas histamine aerosols were much less effective at inducing tracheal reflexes. Also, unlike histamine, bradykinin could evoke profound increases in cholinergic tone without directly or indirectly (e.g., prostanoid dependent) inducing measurable airway smooth muscle contraction resulting in bronchospasm. Neither autacoid required de novo synthesis of prostanoids or nitric oxide to induce reflex tracheal contractions. Combined cyclooxygenase inhibition and tachykinin-receptor antagonism did, however, abolish all effects of bradykinin in the airways, whereas responses to histamine were unaffected by these pretreatments. The data indicate that histamine and bradykinin initiate reflex bronchospasm by differential activation of vagal afferent nerve subtypes. We speculate that selective activation of either airway C fibers or airway rapid adapting receptors can initiate reflex bronchospasm.


2005 ◽  
Vol 289 (3) ◽  
pp. R695-R703 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. E. M. van de Wall ◽  
P. Duffy ◽  
R. C. Ritter

Capsaicin treatment destroys vagal afferent C fibers and markedly attenuates reduction of food intake and induction of hindbrain Fos expression by CCK. However, both anatomical and electrophysiological data indicate that some gastric vagal afferents are not destroyed by capsaicin. Because CCK enhances behavioral and electrophysiological responses to gastric distension in rats and people, we hypothesized that CCK might enhance the vagal afferent response to gastric distension via an action on capsaicin-insensitive vagal afferents. To test this hypothesis, we quantified expression of Fos-like immunoreactivity (Fos) in the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) of capsaicin-treated (Cap) and control rats (Veh), following gastric balloon distension alone and in combination with CCK injection. In Veh rats, intraperitoneal CCK significantly increased DVC Fos, especially in nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), whereas in Cap rats, CCK did not significantly increase DVC Fos. In contrast to CCK, gastric distension did significantly increase Fos expression in the NTS of both Veh and Cap rats, although distension-induced Fos was attenuated in Cap rats. When CCK was administered during gastric distension, it significantly enhanced NTS Fos expression in response to distension in Cap rats. Furthermore, CCK's enhancement of distension-induced Fos in Cap rats was reversed by the selective CCK-A receptor antagonist lorglumide. We conclude that CCK directly activates capsaicin-sensitive C-type vagal afferents. However, in capsaicin-resistant A-type afferents, CCK's principal action may be facilitation of responses to gastric distension.


2011 ◽  
Vol 105 (6) ◽  
pp. 2772-2780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelina Ramirez-Navarro ◽  
Patricia A. Glazebrook ◽  
Michelle Kane-Sutton ◽  
Caroline Padro ◽  
David D. Kline ◽  
...  

The voltage-gated K+ channel Kv1.3 has been reported to regulate transmitter release in select central and peripheral neurons. In this study, we evaluated its role at the synapse between visceral sensory afferents and secondary neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). We identified mRNA and protein for Kv1.3 in rat nodose ganglia using RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. In immunohistochemical experiments, anti-Kv1.3 immunoreactivity was very strong in internal organelles in the soma of nodose neurons with a weaker distribution near the plasma membrane. Anti-Kv1.3 was also identified in the axonal branches that project centrally, including their presynaptic terminals in the medial and commissural NTS. In current-clamp experiments, margatoxin (MgTx), a high-affinity blocker of Kv1.3, produced an increase in action potential duration in C-type but not A- or Ah-type neurons. To evaluate the role of Kv1.3 at the presynaptic terminal, we examined the effect of MgTx on tract evoked monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in brain slices of the NTS. MgTx increased the amplitude of evoked EPSCs in a subset of neurons, with the major increase occurring during the first stimuli in a 20-Hz train. These data, together with the results from somal recordings, support the hypothesis that Kv1.3 regulates the duration of the action potential in the presynaptic terminal of C fibers, limiting transmitter release to the postsynaptic cell.


2018 ◽  
Vol 314 (3) ◽  
pp. R489-R498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang-Ling Chou ◽  
Nanako Mori ◽  
Brendan J. Canning

We have addressed the hypothesis that the opposing effects of bronchopulmonary C-fiber activation on cough are attributable to the activation of C-fiber subtypes. Coughing was evoked in anesthetized guinea pigs by citric acid (0.001–2 M) applied topically in 100-µl aliquots to the tracheal mucosa. In control preparations, citric acid evoked 10 ± 1 coughs cumulatively. Selective activation of the pulmonary C fibers arising from the nodose ganglia with either aerosols or continuous intravenous infusion of adenosine or the 5-HT3 receptor-selective agonist 2-methyl-5-HT nearly abolished coughing evoked subsequently by topical citric acid challenge. Delivering adenosine or 2-methyl-5-HT directly to the tracheal mucosa (where few if any nodose C fibers terminate) was without effect on citric acid-evoked cough. These actions of pulmonary administration of adenosine and 2-methyl-5-HT were accompanied by an increase in respiratory rate, but it is unlikely that the change in respiratory pattern caused the decrease in coughing, as the rapidly adapting receptor stimulant histamine also produced a marked tachypnea but was without effect on cough. In awake guinea pigs, adenosine failed to evoke coughing but reduced coughing induced by the nonselective C-fiber stimulant capsaicin. We conclude that bronchopulmonary C-fiber subtypes in guinea pigs have opposing effects on cough, with airway C fibers arising from the jugular ganglia initiating and/or sensitizing the cough reflex and the intrapulmonary C fibers arising from the nodose ganglia actively inhibiting cough upon activation.


1985 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 1487-1494 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Coast ◽  
S. S. Cassidy

It has been suggested that pulmonary C-fiber stimulation is responsible for the rapid shallow breathing that accompanies pulmonary edema. However, pulmonary C-fiber stimulation also causes apnea. To determine whether it was possible for both responses to occur from one stimulus, we infused varying concentrations of capsaicin (a compound that selectively stimulates C-fiber receptors in the dog) into an in situ vascularly isolated dog lung and measured rates and strengths of diaphragmatic contractions with a strain gauge sutured to the diaphragm and electromyogram electrodes implanted in the diaphragm. There was a dose response to capsaicin in that increased doses were related directly with the duration of cessation of diaphragmatic contractions (2–100 s) and inversely with the latency from the start of stimulation to the beginning of the cessation of diaphragmatic contractions (100–5 s). There was no evidence, however, of rapid shallow breathing in this set of experiments. Either a gradual return to normal rate from prolonged contraction intervals or no change in contraction rate was seen, depending on capsaicin concentration. We conclude that the primary diaphragmatic response to pulmonary C-fiber stimulation is a cessation of diaphragmatic contractions rather than rapid shallow contractions.


2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (4) ◽  
pp. H1278-H1287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Boscan ◽  
Julian F. R. Paton

We determined the activity of neurons within the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) after stimulation of the cornea and assessed whether this input affected the processing of baroreceptor and peripheral chemoreceptor inputs. In an in situ, unanesthetized decerebrate working heart-brain stem preparation of the rat, noxious mechanical or electrical stimulation was applied to the cornea, and extracellular single unit recordings were made from NTS neurons. Cornea nociceptor stimulation evoked bradycardia and an increase in the cycle length of the phrenic nerve discharge. Of 90 NTS neurons with ongoing activity, corneal stimulation excited 51 and depressed 39. There was a high degree of convergence to these NTS neurons from either baroreceptors or chemoreceptors. The excitatory synaptic response in 12 of 19 baroreceptive and 10 of 15 chemoreceptive neurons was attenuated significantly during concomitant electrical stimulation of the cornea. This inhibition was GABAA receptor mediated, being blocked by pressure ejection of bicuculline. Thus the NTS integrates information from corneal receptors, some of which converges onto neurons mediating reflexes from baroreceptors and chemoreceptors to inhibit these inputs.


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