Tracheal mucosal blood flow responses to autonomic agonists

In lightly anesthetized adult sheep, we determined tracheal mucosal blood flow (Qtr) by measuring the steady-state uptake of dimethyl ether from a tracheal chamber created by an endotracheal tube provided with two cuffs. Qtr normalized for carotid arterial pressure [Qtr(n)] was determined before and after the exposure of the tracheal mucosa to aerosolized phenylephrine (0.25-2.0 mg), isoproterenol (0.05-0.8 mg), and methacholine (2.5-20 mg). The same doses of methacholine were also administered during the intravenous infusion of vasopressin. The measurements were repeated after intravenous pretreatment with the respective antagonists phentolamine, propranolol, and atropine. Mean +/- SE base-line Qtr(n) was 1.2 +/- 0.1 ml.min-1.mmHg-1.10(2). The autonomic antagonists had no effect on mean Qtr(n). Phenylephrine produced a dose-dependent decrease in mean Qtr(n) (-70% at the highest dose), which was blunted by phentolamine, and isoproterenol produced a dose-dependent increase in mean Qtr(n) (40% at the highest dose), which was blocked by propranolol. Methacholine failed to alter mean Qtr(n) even when Qtr was first decreased by vasopressin. We conclude that in lightly anesthetized adult sheep 1) base-line Qtr(n) is not under adrenergic or cholinergic control, 2) a locally administered alpha-adrenergic agonist decreases and beta-adrenergic agonist increases Qtr(n) via specific receptor activation, and 3) a locally administered cholinergic muscarinic agonist has no effect on Qtr(n).