Tissue elastance influences airway smooth muscle shortening: comparison of mechanical properties among different...

We have observed striking differences in the mechanical properties of airway smooth muscle preparations among different species. In this study, we provide a novel analysis on the influence of tissue elastance on smooth muscle shortening using previously published data from our laboratory. We have found that isolated human airways exhibit substantial passive tension in contrast to airways from the dog and pig, which exhibit little passive tension (<5% of maximal active force versus approximately 60% for human bronchi). In the dog and pig, airway preparations shorten up to 70% from Lmax (the length at which maximal active force occurs), whereas human airways shorten by only approximately 12% from Lmax. Isolated airways from the rabbit exhibit relatively low passive tension (approximately 22% Fmax) and shorten by 60% from Lmax. Morphologic evaluation of airway cross sections revealed that 25-35% of the airway wall is muscle in canine, porcine, and rabbit airways in contrast to approximately 9% in human airway preparations. We postulate that the large passive tension needed to stretch the muscle to Lmax reflects the high connective tissue content surrounding the smooth muscle, which limits shortening during smooth muscle contraction by imposing an elastic load, as well as by causing radial constraint.