Effect of cooling on responses of isolated human airways to pharmacologic and electrical stimulation

We studied the effect of cooling on the responses of isolated human airways to the beta-agonist isoproterenol, the alpha/beta-agonist norepinephrine in the presence of the beta-blocker timolol, methacholine, leukotriene C4 (LTC4), and histamine. In addition, the effect of cooling on baseline airway tone and responses to electric field stimulation (EFS) was studied. At 27 degrees C the sensitivity (-logEC50) and maximal response to isoproterenol were unchanged. No measurable response was found to alpha-adrenergic stimulation with norepinephrine + timolol either before or during cooling. At 27 degrees C and 21 degrees C the sensitivity and maximal contraction to methacholine and LTC4 as well as the contraction to a single dose of histamine were reduced. Cooling diminished baseline airway tone. EFS produced a rapid cholinergic contraction followed by a deflection below baseline and a sustained noncholinergic contractile response, which was substantially reduced by the LTC4/D4 receptor antagonist FPL 55712 (11.5 microM) at all three temperatures. Cooling decreased the cholinergic response to EFS and increased the sensitivity to EFS-induced relaxation. In contrast, the sustained noncholinergic contractile response to EFS was not changed, suggesting that cooling facilitates the synthesis of LTC4/D4 that follows EFS and/or inhibits its inactivation. We conclude that in nonasthmatic, isolated human airways slow cooling of the airway wall down to 21 degrees C does not cause bronchoconstriction and does not increase the responsiveness to contractile or relaxing agonists. However, cooling increases the sensitivity to EFS-induced relaxation and might facilitate the accumulation of leukotriene C4/D4 in the airway wall.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)