Induction of airway hyperresponsiveness in allergic rats

Brown-Norway rats (male) were sensitized with both dinitrophenylated-bovine serum albumin (DNP-BSA) and Bordetella pertussis simultaneously in order to induce airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) as the first sensitization. At five days, DNP-BSA was inhaled as a booster into the airways under thiopental anaesthesia. At eight days, inhalation of antigen markedly increased the tracheal pressure (TP) in sensitized rats (11.9 +/- 1.6 cmH2O) and slightly increased TP in non-sensitized rats (1.1 +/- 0.4), the difference between the two groups being significant (p less than 0.001). Twenty-four hours after antigen challenge, the airway responsiveness to ACh in sensitized rats was markedly increased to about 4-fold as compared to that in non-sensitized rats. Inhalation of dinitrophenylated-ovalbumin failed to increase the airway responsiveness to ACh in rats sensitized with DNP-BSA, although a marked increase in TP was induced immediately after antigen challenge. We thus succeeded in preparing a model of AHR by employing a new procedure of sensitization.