VIP and PHM and their role in nonadrenergic inhibitory responses in isolated human airways

1986 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 1322-1328 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. B. Palmer ◽  
F. M. Cuss ◽  
P. J. Barnes

There is increasing evidence in many species that vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) may be a neurotransmitter in nonadrenergic inhibitory nerves. We have studied the effect of electrical field stimulation (EFS), exogenous VIP, and isoproterenol (Iso) on human airways in vitro. We have also studied a related peptide, peptide histidine methionine (PHM), which coexists with VIP in human airway nerves, and in separate experiments studied fragments of the VIP amino acid sequence (VIP1–10 and VIP16–28) for agonist and antagonist activity. Human airways were obtained at thoracotomy and studied in an organ bath. In bronchi EFS gave an inhibitory response that was unaltered by 10(-6) M propranolol but was blocked by tetrodotoxin, whereas in bronchioles there was little or no nonadrenergic inhibitory response. VIP, PHM, and Iso all caused dose-dependent relaxation of bronchi, VIP and PHM being approximately 50-fold more potent than Iso. VIP, but not Iso, mimicked the time course of nonadrenergic inhibitory nerve stimulation. In contrast bronchioles relaxed to Iso but not to VIP or PHM. Neither propranolol nor indomethacin altered the relaxant effects of VIP or PHM, suggesting a direct effect of these peptides on airway smooth muscle. Neither of the VIP fragments showed either agonist or antagonist activity. We conclude that VIP and PHM are more potent bronchodilators of human bronchi than Iso and that the association between the relaxant effects of these peptides and nonadrenergic inhibitory responses suggests that they may be possible neurotransmitters of nonadrenergic inhibitory nerves in human airways.

1987 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1558-1566 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. De Jongste ◽  
H. Mons ◽  
I. L. Bonta ◽  
K. F. Kerrebijn

Fresh human bronchi, obtained at thoracotomy and maintained at 37 degrees C, were studied in vitro to investigate their response to electric field stimulation (EFS). We found complex responses that were not only composed of a rapid initial nerve-mediated cholinergic contraction and a non-adrenergic nerve-mediated relaxation, but, in 80% of preparations, also of a tonic contraction with a sustained time course. This sustained phase was not blocked by the nervous conductance blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX) and was therefore not neurally mediated. Controlled transient cooling to 4 degrees C in the organ bath reduced this sustained phase selectively for several hours. The leukotriene (LT) antagonist FPL 55712, dexamethasone, which inhibits phospholipase A2, and the antiasthmatic drug cromolyn all reduced the sustained phase significantly. In 20% of strips, an additional TTX-resistant contraction was seen directly after the cholinergic phase. This contraction could be inhibited by indomethacin. A similar small peak sometimes appeared after selective blocking of either the cholinergic or the sustained phases. Experiments in which the epithelium was removed from the strips suggested that this indomethacin-sensitive response, but not the sustained phase, was dependent on the presence of epithelium. These results show that EFS of fresh human bronchi stimulated cholinergic and nonadrenergic inhibitory nerves and gave rise to a partly epithelium-dependent synthesis of arachidonic acid metabolites, which caused contractile responses that interfered with the neurally mediated responses.


1989 ◽  
Vol 262 (2) ◽  
pp. 449-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Hanekom ◽  
A Nel ◽  
C Gittinger ◽  
A Rheeder ◽  
G Landreth

Treatment of Jurkat T-cells with anti-CD-3 monoclonal antibodies resulted in the rapid and transient activation of a serine kinase which utilized the microtubule-associated protein, MAP-2, as a substrate in vitro. The kinase was also activated on treatment of Jurkat cells with phytohaemagglutinin, but with a different time course. The activation of the MAP-2 kinase by anti-CD-3 antibodies was dose-dependent, with maximal activity observed at concentrations of greater than 500 ng/ml. Normal human E-rosette-positive T-cells also exhibited induction of MAP-2 kinase activity during anti-CD-3 treatment. The enzyme was optimally active in the presence of 2 mM-Mn2+; lower levels of activity were observed with Mg2+, even at concentrations up to 20 mM. The kinase was partially purified by passage over DE-52 Sephacel with the activity eluting as a single peak at 0.25 M-NaCl. The molecular mass was estimated to be 45 kDa by gel filtration. The activation of the MAP-2 kinase was probably due to phosphorylation of this enzyme as treatment with alkaline phosphatase diminished its activity. These data demonstrate that the stimulation of T-cells through the CD-3 complex results in the activation of a novel serine kinase which may be critically involved in signal transduction in these cells.


2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (3) ◽  
pp. H882-H888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naruto Matsuda ◽  
Kathleen G. Morgan ◽  
Frank W. Sellke

The effects of the potassium (K+) channel opener pinacidil (Pin) on the coronary smooth muscle Ca2+-myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation pathway under hypothermic K+cardioplegia were determined by use of an in vitro microvessel model. Rat coronary arterioles (100–260 μm in diameter) were subjected to 60 min of simulated hypothermic (20°C) K+cardioplegic solutions (K+= 25 mM). We first characterized the time course of changes in intracellular Ca2+concentration, MLC phosphorylation, and diameter and observed that the K+cardioplegia-related vasoconstriction was associated with an activation of the Ca2+-MLC phosphorylation pathway. Supplementation with Pin effectively suppressed the Ca2+accumulation and MLC phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner and subsequently maintained a small decrease in vasomotor tone. The ATP-sensitive K+(KATP)-channel blocker glibenclamide, but not the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, significantly inhibited the effect of Pin. K+cardioplegia augments the coronary Ca2+-MLC pathway and results in vasoconstriction. Pin effectively prevents the activation of this pathway and maintains adequate vasorelaxation during K+cardioplegia through a KATP-channel mechanism not coupled with the endothelium-derived NO signaling cascade.


1988 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 700-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. J. Rhoden ◽  
L. A. Meldrum ◽  
P. J. Barnes

The purpose of the study was to determine whether catecholamines modulate cholinergic neurotransmission in isolated human airway smooth muscle. Bronchial rings were suspended in organ baths for isometric measurement of tension, and contractions were induced by either electrical field stimulation (EFS) or exogenous acetylcholine (ACh). Isoproterenol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine in that order of potency produced concentration-dependent inhibition of comparable responses to EFS and ACh. However a potency difference of 100-fold for isoproterenol (IC50 = 4.80 X 10(-8) M for EFS and 3.70 X 10(-6) M for ACh) and 10-fold for both epinephrine and norepinephrine was observed for inhibition of responses to EFS compared with responses to ACh. The inhibitory effects of isoproterenol on responses to EFS were prevented by propranolol and ICI 118551 (a beta 2-antagonist) but not by betaxolol (a beta 1-antagonist). Tyramine had no effect on contractions elicited by EFS. These experiments demonstrate that beta-agonists inhibit cholinergic nerve-induced contractions of human bronchi more potently than contractions induced by exogenous ACh, suggesting modulation of cholinergic neurotransmission by prejunctional beta 2-receptors.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (2) ◽  
pp. L220-L225 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. McGrogan ◽  
L. J. Janssen ◽  
J. Wattie ◽  
P. M. O’Byrne ◽  
E. E. Daniel

To investigate the role of prostaglandin (PG) E2 in allergen-induced hyperresponsiveness, dogs inhaled either the allergen Ascaris suum or vehicle (Sham). Twenty-four hours after inhalation, some animals exposed to allergen demonstrated an increased responsiveness to acetylcholine challenge in vivo (Hyp-Resp), whereas others did not (Non-Resp). Strips of tracheal smooth muscle, either epithelium intact or epithelium denuded, were suspended on stimulating electrodes, and a concentration-response curve to carbachol (10−9 to 10−5 M) was generated. Tissues received electrical field stimulation, and organ bath fluid was collected to determine PGE2content. With the epithelium present, all three groups contracted similarly to 10−5 M carbachol, whereas epithelium-denuded tissues from animals that inhaled allergen contracted more than tissues from Sham dogs. In response to electrical field stimulation, Hyp-Resp tissues contracted less than Sham tissues in the presence of epithelium and more than Sham tissues in the absence of epithelium. PGE2release in the muscle bath was greater in Non-Resp tissues than in Sham or Hyp-Resp tissues when the epithelium was present. Removal of the epithelium greatly inhibited PGE2release. We conclude that tracheal smooth muscle is hyperresponsive in vitro after in vivo allergen exposure only when the modulatory effect of the epithelium, largely through PGE2 release, is removed.


1976 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 764-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Richardson ◽  
J. Beland

Human airways, from the middle of the trachea to the distal bronchi, were studied in vitro for the presence of inhibitory nerves. The tissue was obtained from operations and from recent autopsies. Electrical field stimulation of the tissues demonstrated cholinergic, excitatory nerves and their effect was blocked by atropine. Field stimulation of the tissues, in the presence of atropine, relaxed the smooth muscle even when the muscle was contracted by histamine. The field stimulation-induced relaxation was neither blocked nor modified by adrenergic blocking agents. Maximum relaxation of the bronchial muscle was obtained with a pulse duration of 1–2 ms, 70 V,and frequencies of 20 Hz and greater. The tracheal smooth muscle showed 85%of maximal relaxation with a frequency of 10 Hz. Tetrodotoxin, blocked the field stimulation-induced relaxation for pulse durations of 2 ms; this indicated that nerves were being stimulated. The airway system shows some of the characteristics of the nonadrenergic inhibitory system in the gastrointestinal tract and of the system reported in the guinea pig trachealis muscle.No evidence of adrenergic inhibitory fibers was found in the bronchial muscle with either pharmacological or histochemical techniques. These findings suggest that the nonadrenergic inhibitory system is the principal inhibitory system for the smooth muscle of human airways. We suggest that a defect in the airway system, such as that shown in the gastrointestinal tract, may be an explanation for the hyperreactive airways of asthma and chronic bronchitis.


1996 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 2211-2216 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Armour ◽  
K. O. McKay ◽  
P. R. Johnson ◽  
A. R. Glanville ◽  
J. L. Black

Human airway tissue has been used in vitro to study mechanisms of airway disease. However, there has never been a comprehensive study that has looked at the influence of disease on the subsequent in vitro responsiveness of human airways. In this study, we obtained airway tissue from patients who were undergoing resection of the lung for carcinoma. We then compared the airway responsiveness in these tissues and in tissues from patients who had undergone lung transplantation for alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, emphysema, or cystic fibrosis with the responsiveness in tissues obtained from donor lungs, i.e., nondiseased. When the relationships between concentration and response were compared, we found that for histamine, electrical field stimulation, levcromakalim, and isoproterenol similar responses could be expected in tissues obtained from all the sources studied. This was not true for acetylcholine in that there were significantly lower responses in tissues from patients with alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (P = 0.02; n = 9) or from patients having a lung resected for carcinoma (P = 0.01; n = 6) compared with that of the nondiseased group (n = 6). Similarly, for carbachol, the responses were significantly lower in the alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency group (P = 0.001; n = 10) and in specimens resected for carcinoma (P = 0.001; n = 6) than in the nondiseased group (n = 9). We conclude that, apart from acetylcholine and carbachol, contractile and relaxant agonists give similar responses when used in human airway tissues from various sources. Our results highlight the importance of stating the source of tissue when human airways are to be studied.


1987 ◽  
Vol 253 (4) ◽  
pp. G566-G572
Author(s):  
M. Karaus ◽  
K. R. Prasad ◽  
S. K. Sarna ◽  
I. M. Lang

We studied the effects of neurotensin analogue [Gln4]-neurotensin on isolated dog ileal longitudinal and circular muscle strips. [Gln4]neurotensin stimulated the spontaneous contractile activity of the circular muscle but inhibited that of the longitudinal muscle in a dose-dependent fashion. Hexamethonium had no effect on the spontaneous longitudinal or circular muscle contractile activity. Atropine and tetrodotoxin (TTX) both inhibited the longitudinal muscle. Atropine had no effect on the circular muscle, but TTX stimulated it. The effects of [Gln4]neurotensin on the circular muscle were reduced but not completely abolished by atropine. The inhibition of the longitudinal muscle by [Gln4]neurotensin was not reduced by any of the above antagonists but was enhanced by atropine. Electrical field stimulation (10 Hz, 100 mA) stimulated the longitudinal muscle and inhibited or stimulated the circular muscle depending on the pulse width of the stimulus. These effects were unaffected by [Gln4]neurotensin. We conclude that [Gln4]neurotensin has differential effects on isolated muscle strips of the two muscle layers in the dog ileum. It stimulates the circular muscle partially through cholinergic nerves at preganglionic sites and partially through a direct myogenic effect. [Gln4]neurotensin inhibits the spontaneous activity of the longitudinal muscle presumably by reducing the excitability of cholinergic nerves at postganglionic sites.


1984 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 958-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Taylor ◽  
P. D. Pare ◽  
R. R. Schellenberg

Electrical field stimulation (70 V, 1 ms, 0.2–500 Hz) of human bronchial strips and guinea pig tracheal chains produced contractile and relaxant responses. Contractions were blocked by atropine, 10(-6) M, and tetrodotoxin (TTX), 0.1–1.0 micrograms/ml, demonstrating a cholinergic excitatory neural component. Frequencies causing half-maximal contractile response to field stimulation (EFc 50) were 10 +/- 2 Hz for guinea pig and 13 +/- 1 Hz for human airways. Relaxations were unmasked by atropine 10(-6) M and slightly diminished by propranolol in guinea pig but not human airways, demonstrating a predominantly nonadrenergic inhibitory pathway in both species. Relaxation of intrinsic tone occurred at stimulation frequencies of 1 Hz or more. Frequencies causing half-maximal relaxation (EFi 50) were 3.5 +/- 0.3 Hz for guinea pig trachealis and 38 +/- 6 Hz for human bronchi. Following 1 microgram/ml TTX, EFi 50 values increased to 104 +/- 12 and 70 +/- 14 Hz, respectively. Frequencies of field stimulation that were inhibitable by TTX (less than or equal to 20 Hz) induced greater relaxation in guinea pig than human airways (70 vs. 10% of the maximal relaxation to 10(-2) M theophylline, respectively). The methods of analysis outlined in this study can be used to compare relative degrees of functional innervation between tissues from the same or different species.


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