Differences in airway structure in immature and mature rabbits

2000 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 1310-1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Ramchandani ◽  
X. Shen ◽  
C. L. Elmsley ◽  
W. T. Ambrosius ◽  
S. J. Gunst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Lower Percentage ◽  
Airway Wall ◽  
Airway Narrowing ◽  
Wall Area ◽  
Lung Capacity ◽  
Airway Wall Thickness ◽  
Structural Differences ◽  
Airway Walls ◽  
Formalin Fixed

Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that maximal bronchoconstriction produces a greater degree of airway narrowing in immature than in mature rabbit lungs (33). To determine whether these maturational differences could be related to airway structure, we compared the fraction of the airway wall occupied by airway smooth muscle (ASM) and cartilage, the proportion of wall area internal to ASM, and the number of alveolar attachments to the airways, from mature and immature (6-mo- and 4-wk-old, respectively) rabbit lungs that were formalin fixed at total lung capacity. The results demonstrate that the airway walls of immature rabbits had a greater percentage of smooth muscle, a lower percentage of cartilage, and fewer alveolar attachments compared with mature rabbit airways; however, we did not find maturational differences in the airway wall thickness relative to airway size. We conclude that structural differences in the airway wall may contribute to the greater airway narrowing observed in immature rabbits during bronchoconstriction.

Determinants of airway smooth muscle shortening in excised canine lobes

1995 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 608-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Okazawa ◽  
S. Vedal ◽  
L. Verburgt ◽  
R. K. Lambert ◽  
P. D. Pare
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Airway Smooth Muscle ◽  
Airway Wall ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Airway Narrowing ◽  
Wall Area ◽  
Muscle Shortening ◽  
Mechanical Factors ◽  
Airway Dimensions ◽  
Wall Geometry

There is marked heterogeneity of airway narrowing in intraparenchymal airways in response to bronchoconstricting stimuli. We hypothesized that this heterogeneity results from variations in the structure of the airway wall. Freshly excised dog lung lobes were inflated to transpulmonary pressures (PL) of between 5 and 15 cmH2O, and an aerosol containing a high concentration of carbachol was administered. The lobes were fixed and processed for light-microscopic examination and morphometric analysis of membranous airway dimensions. The relationships of smooth muscle shortening to PL and airway dimensions were analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results show that airway smooth muscle shortening was greater at lower PL and in airways with larger internal perimeter and a greater number of folds per internal perimeter and that it was less in airways with greater inner wall area. We conclude that the magnitude and variability of airway smooth muscle shortening and airway narrowing in response to maximal constricting stimuli are influenced by mechanical factors related to airway wall geometry.

Effect of lung inflation in vivo on airways with smooth muscle tone or edema

1997 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 491-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Brown ◽  
Wayne Mitzner ◽  
Yonca Bulut ◽  
Elizabeth M. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Total Lung Capacity ◽  
Muscle Tone ◽  
Transpulmonary Pressure ◽  
Airway Wall ◽  
Lung Inflation ◽  
Airway Narrowing ◽  
Lung Capacity ◽  
Luminal Area

Brown, Robert H., Wayne Mitzner, Yonca Bulut, and Elizabeth M. Wagner. Effect of lung inflation in vivo on airways with smooth muscle tone or edema. J. Appl. Physiol. 82(2): 491–499, 1997.—Fibrous attachments to the airway wall and a subpleural surrounding pressure can create an external load against which airway smooth muscle must contract. A decrease in this load has been proposed as a possible cause of increased airway narrowing in asthmatic individuals. To study the interaction between the airways and the surrounding lung parenchyma, we investigated the effect of lung inflation on relaxed airways, airways contracted with methacholine, and airways made edematous by infusion of bradykinin into the bronchial artery. Measurements were made in anesthetized sheep by using high-resolution computed tomography to visualize changes in individual airways. During methacholine infusion, airway area was decreased but increased minimally with increases in transpulmonary pressure. Bradykinin infusion caused a 50% increase in airway wall area and a small decrease in airway luminal area. In contrast to airways contracted with methacholine, the luminal area after bradykinin increased substantially with increases in transpulmonary pressure, reaching 99% of the relaxed area at total lung capacity. Thus airway edema by itself did not prevent full distension of the airway at lung volumes approaching total lung capacity. Therefore, we speculate that if a deep inspiration fails to relieve airway narrowing in vivo, this must be a manifestation of airway smooth muscle contraction and not airway wall edema.

scholarly journals Effects of edema on small airway narrowing

1997 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 784-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Small Airway ◽  
Airway Wall ◽  
Airway Narrowing ◽  
Wall Area ◽  
Fluid Extravasation ◽  
Luminal Narrowing ◽  
Mediators Of Inflammation ◽  
Luminal Area ◽  
Lung Lobes

Wagner, Elizabeth M. Effects of edema on small airway narrowing. J. Appl. Physiol. 83(3): 784–791, 1997.—Numerous mediators of inflammation have been demonstrated to cause airway microvascular fluid and protein extravasation. That fluid extravasation results in airway wall edema leading to airway narrowing and enhanced reactivity has not been confirmed. In anesthetized, ventilated sheep ( n = 30), airway vascular fluid extravasation was induced by infusing bradykinin (10−6 M) through a cannulated, blood-perfused bronchial artery. Airway wall edema and luminal narrowing were determined morphometrically. Airway reactivity to methacholine (MCh; 10 μg/ml, intrabronchial artery) was determined by measuring conducting airway resistance (Raw) by forced oscillation. Raw measurements were made and lung lobes were excised and quick frozen before or after a 1-h bradykinin infusion. In 10 airways per lobe (range 0.2- to 2.0-mm relaxed diameter), wall area occupied 32 ± 2% (SE) of the total normalized airway area ( n = 9). Bradykinin infusion increased wall area to 42 ± 5% ( P = 0.02); luminal area decreased by <5%; and smooth muscle perimeter, a measure of smooth muscle constriction, was not altered ( n = 5). Raw showed no change from baseline (1.4 ± 0.4 cmH2O ⋅ l−1 ⋅ s) after bradykinin infusion ( n = 10). During MCh challenge, Raw increased by 3.2 ± 04 cmH2O ⋅ l−1 ⋅ s, and this change did not differ after administration of bradykinin. MCh challenge caused similar decreases in smooth muscle perimeter (10%) and luminal area (72 vs. 68%) before and after bradykinin infusion. However, the time constant of recovery of Raw from MCh constriction was increased from control (40 ± 3 s) to 57 ± 10 s after bradykinin infusion ( P = 0.03). When lung lobes were excised at the same time after MCh challenge was terminated ( n = 5), luminal area was greater before bradykinin infusion than after (86 vs. 78%; P = 0.007), as was smooth muscle perimeter. The results of this study demonstrate that airway wall edema limits relaxation after induced constriction rather than enhancing constriction.

Airway wall dimensions during carbachol-induced bronchoconstriction in rabbits

1996 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 1578-1583 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Sasaki ◽  
Y. Saitoh ◽  
L. Verburgt ◽  
M. Okazawa
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Freeze Substitution ◽  
Transpulmonary Pressure ◽  
Muscle Layer ◽  
Airway Wall ◽  
En Bloc ◽  
Airway Narrowing ◽  
Wall Area ◽  
Peripheral Airways ◽  
Muscle Shortening

Sasaki, F., Y. Saitoh, L. Verburgt, and M. Okazawa.Airway wall dimensions during carbachol-induced bronchoconstriction in rabbits. J. Appl. Physiol. 81(4): 1578–1583, 1996.—Airway wall area is an important determinant of airway narrowing. We hypothesized that in cross-sectioned peripheral airways, the wall area internal to the outer smooth muscle border (inner wall area) would decrease and the airway wall area external to the outer smooth the muscle layer (adventitial area) would increase during bronchoconstriction because of the relocation of blood and/or fluid between these compartments. To test this hypothesis, we used anesthetized open-chest rabbits and measured airway wall dimensions and smooth muscle shortening of membranous airways after carbachol-induced bronchoconstriction using morphometric techniques. Acute (3-min) and sustained (40-min) bronchoconstriction was induced by aerosol nebulization of carbachol and compared with saline treatment. After physiological measurements, the heart base was snared, and the lung and heart were excised en bloc and frozen by using liquid nitrogen while a transpulmonary pressure of 2 cmH2O was maintained. The lung was processed for light-microscopic examination by using a freeze substitution technique. Results show that adventitial area was significantly decreased after sustained but not acute bronchoconstriction. The mechanism of this change, which contradicts our hypothesis, is unclear. However, the decrease of adventitial area could increase rather than decrease the effect of lung parenchymal tethering and attenuate airway narrowing.

Does the length dependency of airway smooth muscle force contribute to airway hyperresponsiveness?

2013 ◽  
Vol 115 (9) ◽  
pp. 1304-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Lee-Gosselin ◽  
Chris D. Pascoe ◽  
Christian Couture ◽  
Peter D. Paré ◽  
Ynuk Bossé
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Computational Model ◽  
Airway Smooth Muscle ◽  
Airway Hyperresponsiveness ◽  
Muscle Force ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Airway Wall ◽  
Airway Walls ◽  
Computational Analyses ◽  
Human Bronchi

Airway wall remodeling and lung hyperinflation are two typical features of asthma that may alter the contractility of airway smooth muscle (ASM) by affecting its operating length. The aims of this study were as follows: 1) to describe in detail the “length dependency of ASM force” in response to different spasmogens; and 2) to predict, based on morphological data and a computational model, the consequence of this length dependency of ASM force on airway responsiveness in asthmatic subjects who have both remodeled airway walls and hyperinflated lungs. Ovine tracheal ASM strips and human bronchial rings were isolated and stimulated to contract in response to increasing concentrations of spasmogens at three different lengths. Ovine tracheal strips were more sensitive and generated greater force at longer lengths in response to acetylcholine (ACh) and K+. Equipotent concentrations of ACh were approximately a log less for ASM stretched by 30% and approximately a log more for ASM shortened by 30%. Similar results were observed in human bronchi in response to methacholine. Morphometric and computational analyses predicted that the ASM of asthmatic subjects may be elongated by 6.6–10.4% (depending on airway generation) due to remodeling and/or hyperinflation, which could increase ACh-induced force by 1.8–117.8% (depending on ASM length and ACh concentration) and enhance the increased resistance to airflow by 0.4–4,432.8%. In conclusion, elongation of ASM imposed by airway wall remodeling and/or hyperinflation may allow ASM to operate at a longer length and to consequently generate more force and respond to lower concentration of spasmogens. This phenomenon could contribute to airway hyperresponsiveness.

scholarly journals Decreased airway narrowing and smooth muscle contraction in hyperresponsive pigs

2002 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 1296-1300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra J. Turner ◽  
Peter B. Noble ◽  
Matthew P. Lucas ◽  
Howard W. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Airway Hyperresponsiveness ◽  
Porcine Model ◽  
Smooth Muscle Contraction ◽  
Airway Wall ◽  
Muscle Contractility ◽  
Smooth Muscle Contractility ◽  
Airway Narrowing

Increased smooth muscle contractility or reduced smooth muscle mechanical loads could account for the excessive airway narrowing and hyperresponsiveness seen in asthma. These mechanisms were investigated by using an allergen-induced porcine model of airway hyperresponsiveness. Airway narrowing to electric field stimulation was measured in isolated bronchial segments, over a range of transmural pressures (0–20 cmH2O). Contractile responses to ACh were measured in bronchial segments and in isolated tracheal smooth muscle strips isolated from control and test (ovalbumin sensitized and challenged) pigs. Test airways narrowed less than controls ( P < 0.0001). Test pigs showed reduced contractility to ACh, both in isolated bronchi ( P < 0.01) and smooth muscle strips ( P < 0.01). Thus isolated airways from pigs exhibiting airway hyperresponsiveness in vivo are hyporesponsive in vitro. The decreased narrowing in bronchi from hyperresponsive pigs may be related to decreased smooth muscle contractility. These data suggest that mechanisms external to the airway wall may be important to the hyperresponsive nature of sensitized lungs.

Effects of lung volume, bronchoconstriction, and cigarette smoke on morphometric airway dimensions

1988 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 913-919 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. James ◽  
P. D. Pare ◽  
J. C. Hogg
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Cigarette Smoke ◽  
Lung Volume ◽  
Muscle Tone ◽  
Cigarette Smoke Exposure ◽  
Wall Thickening ◽  
Airway Wall ◽  
Lung Inflation ◽  
Wall Area ◽  
Airway Dimensions

To examine the role of airway wall thickening in the bronchial hyperresponsiveness observed after exposure to cigarette smoke, we compared the airway dimensions of guinea pigs exposed to smoke (n = 7) or air (n = 7). After exposure the animals were anesthetized with urethan, pulmonary resistance was measured, and the lungs were removed, distended with Formalin, and fixed near functional residual capacity. The effects of lung inflation and bronchoconstriction on airway dimensions were studied separately by distending and fixing lungs with Formalin at total lung capacity (TLC) (n = 3), 50% TLC (n = 3), and 25% TLC (n = 3) or near residual volume after bronchoconstriction (n = 3). On transverse sections of extraparenchymal and intraparenchymal airways the following dimensions were measured: the internal area (Ai) and internal perimeter (Pi), defined by the epithelium, and the external area (Ae) and external perimeter (Pe), defined by the outer border of smooth muscle. Airway wall area (WA) was then calculated, WA = Ae - Ai. Ai, Pe, and Ae decreased with decreasing lung volume and after bronchoconstriction. However, WA and Pi did not change significantly with lung volume or after bronchoconstriction. After cigarette smoke exposure airway resistance was increased (P less than 0.05); however, there was no difference in WA between the smoke- and air-exposed groups when the airways were matched by Pi. We conclude that Pi and WA are constant despite changes in lung volume and smooth muscle tone and that airway hyperresponsiveness induced by cigarette smoke is not mediated by increased airway wall thickness.

Airway smooth muscle orientation in intraparenchymal airways

1997 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lei ◽  
H. Ghezzo ◽  
M. F. Chen ◽  
D. H. Eidelman
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Airway Smooth Muscle ◽  
Serial Sections ◽  
Airway Wall ◽  
Transverse Axis ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Airway Narrowing ◽  
Human Specimen ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Airway Tree

Lei, M., H. Ghezzo, M. F. Chen, and D. H. Eidelman.Airway smooth muscle orientation in intraparenchymal airways. J. Appl. Physiol. 82(1): 70–77, 1997.—Airway smooth muscle (ASM) shortening is the central event leading to bronchoconstriction. The degree to which airway narrowing occurs as a consequence of shortening is a function of both the mechanical properties of the airway wall as well as the orientation of the muscle fibers. Although the latter is theoretically important, it has not been systematically measured to date. The purpose of this study was to determine the angle of orientation of ASM (θ) in normal lungs by using a morphometric approach. We analyzed the airway tree of the left lower lobes of four cats and one human. All material was fixed with 10% buffered Formalin at a pressure of 25 cmH2O for 48 h. The fixed material was dissected along the airway tree to permit isolation of generations 4–18 in the cats and generations 5–22 in the human specimen. Each airway generation was individually embedded in paraffin. Five-micrometer-thick serial sections were cut parallel to the airway long axis and stained with hematoxylin-phloxine-saffron. Each block yielded three to five sections containing ASM. To determine θ, we measured the orientation of ASM nuclei relative to the transverse axis of the airway by using a digitizing tablet and a light microscope (×250) equipped with a drawing tube attachment. Inspection of the sections revealed extensive ASM crisscrossing without a homogeneous orientation. The θ was clustered between −20° and 20° in all airway generations and did not vary much between generations in any of the cats or in the human specimen. When θ was expressed without regard to sign, the mean values were 13.2° in the cats and 13.1° in the human. This magnitude of obliquity is not likely to result in physiologically important changes in airway length during bronchoconstriction.

Bronchoprotective effect of simulated deep inspirations in tracheal smooth muscle

2014 ◽  
Vol 117 (12) ◽  
pp. 1502-1513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Pascoe ◽  
Graham M. Donovan ◽  
Ynuk Bossé ◽  
Chun Y. Seow ◽  
Peter D. Paré
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Lung Function ◽  
Airway Smooth Muscle ◽  
Forced Expiratory Volume ◽  
Airway Responsiveness ◽  
Tracheal Smooth Muscle ◽  
Airway Wall ◽  
Methacholine Challenge ◽  
Airway Narrowing ◽  
The Third

Deep inspirations (DIs) taken before an inhaled challenge with a spasmogen limit airway responsiveness in nonasthmatic subjects. This phenomenon is called bronchoprotection and is severely impaired in asthmatic subjects. The ability of DIs to prevent a decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) was initially attributed to inhibition of airway narrowing. However, DIs taken before methacholine challenge limit airway responsiveness only when a test of lung function requiring a DI is used (FEV1). Therefore, it has been suggested that prior DIs enhance the compliance of the airways or airway smooth muscle (ASM). This would increase the strain the airway wall undergoes during the subsequent DI, which is part of the FEV1 maneuver. To investigate this phenomenon, we used ovine tracheal smooth muscle strips that were subjected to shortening elicited by acetylcholine with or without prior strain mimicking two DIs. The compliance of the shortened strip was then measured in response to a stress mimicking one DI. Our results show that the presence of “DIs” before acetylcholine-induced shortening resulted in 11% greater relengthening in response to the third DI, compared with the prior DIs. This effect, although small, is shown to be potentially important for the reopening of closed airways. The effect of prior DIs was abolished by the adaptation of ASM to either shorter or longer lengths or to a low baseline tone. These results suggest that DIs confer bronchoprotection because they increase the compliance of ASM, which, consequently, promotes greater strain from subsequent DI and fosters the reopening of closed airways.

scholarly journals Airway wall thickness associated with forced expiratory volume in 1 second decline and development of airflow limitation

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 644-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Firdaus A.A. Mohamed Hoesein ◽  
Pim A. de Jong ◽  
Jan-Willem J. Lammers ◽  
Willem P.T.M. Mali ◽  
Michael Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wall Thickness ◽  
Forced Expiratory Volume ◽  
Airflow Limitation ◽  
Airway Wall ◽  
Lung Function Decline ◽  
Wall Area ◽  
Percentile Method ◽  
Airway Wall Thickness ◽  
Fev1 Decline

Airway wall thickness and emphysema contribute to airflow limitation.We examined their association with lung function decline and development of airflow limitation in 2021 male smokers with and without airflow limitation. Airway wall thickness and emphysema were quantified on chest computed tomography and expressed as the square root of wall area of a 10-mm lumen perimeter (Pi10) and the 15th percentile method (Perc15), respectively. Baseline and follow-up (median (interquartile range) 3 (2.9–3.1) years) spirometry was available.Pi10 and Perc15 correlated with baseline forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (r= −0.49 and 0.11, respectively (p<0.001)). Multiple linear regression showed that Pi10 and Perc15 at baseline were associated with a lower FEV1 after follow-up (p<0.05). For eachsdincrease in Pi10 and decrease in Perc15 the FEV1 decreased by 20 mL and 30.2 mL, respectively. The odds ratio for developing airflow limitation after 3 years was 2.45 for a 1-mm higher Pi10 and 1.46 for a 10-HU lower Perc15 (p<0.001).A greater degree of airway wall thickness and emphysema was associated with a higher FEV1 decline and development of airflow limitation after 3 years of follow-up.

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