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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Dry Powder and Nebulized Aerosol Inhalation of Pharmaceuticals Delivered to Mice Using a Nose-only Exposure System
Published on: April 6, 2017
Inhalation and incubation with procaterol increases diaphragm muscle contractility in mice
Chiyohiko Shindoh1, Katsuyuki Sasaki, Yuriko Shindoh
1Department of Medical Technology, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. cshindoh@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp
Background:
Although procaterol is used clinically as a beta(2)-adrenergic receptor agonist to relax airway smooth muscle, it has not yet been clarified whether procaterol has inotropic effects on respiratory muscles.
Methods:
Three intervention groups were investigated: a procaterol inhalation only group; a procaterol inhalation plus endotoxin injection group (in vivo); and a procaterol incubation group (in vitro). The diaphragm muscle in all groups was dissected and measurements of its contractile properties were performed.
Results:
The effects of procaterol inhalation shifted the force-frequency curves upward at 30 minutes after inhalation, and inhibited the decline of force-frequency curves due to endotoxin injection in vivo. In vitro administration of procaterol resulted in an increase in the force-frequency curves in a dose-dependent manner.
Conclusions:
It can be concluded that procaterol has an inotropic effect on the diaphragmatic muscles taken from normal animals as well as on the diaphragm muscles in a septic animal model.

