Responsiveness of canine bronchial vasculature to excitatory stimuli and to cooling

Changes in bronchial vascular tone, in part due to cooling during ventilation, may contribute to altered control of airflow during airway inflammation, asthma, and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. We investigated the responses of canine bronchial vasculature to excitatory stimuli and cooling. Electrical stimulation evoked contractions in only some (8 of 88) tissues; these were phentolamine sensitive and augmented by N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine. However, sustained contractions were evoked in all tissues by phenylephrine [concentration evoking a half-maximal response (EC(50)) approximately 2 microM] or the thromboxane A(2) mimetic U-46619 (EC(50) approximately 5 nM) and less so by beta,gamma-methylene-ATP or histamine. Cooling to room temperature markedly suppressed ( approximately 75%) adrenergic responses but had no significant effect against U-46619 responses. Adrenergic responses, but not those to U-46619, were accompanied by an increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. Chelerythrine (protein kinase C antagonist) markedly antagonized adrenergic responses (mean maxima reduced 39% in artery and 86% in vein) but had no significant effect against U-46619, whereas genistein (a nonspecific tyrosine kinase inhibitor) essentially abolished responses to both agonists. We conclude that cooling of the airway wall dramatically interferes with adrenergic control of bronchial perfusion but has little effect on thromboxane-mediated vasoconstriction.