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Ciliary responsiveness in allergic and nonallergic airways
Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|June 1, 1986
Summary
Allergic asthma does not appear to involve hyperresponsiveness of airway ciliary beat frequency to mediators like PGE1, PGE2, and LTD4. The effect of LTD4 on ciliary activity is linked to cyclooxygenase products.
Area of Science:
- Respiratory physiology
- Immunology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Allergic asthma is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness.
- Mucociliary clearance is crucial for airway health.
- The relationship between allergic asthma and mucociliary hyperresponsiveness is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether allergic sheep exhibit exaggerated ciliary responses to mediators of anaphylaxis.
- To determine if leukotriene D4 (LTD4) effects are direct or involve cyclooxygenase products.
- To compare ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in allergic versus nonallergic sheep.
Main Methods:
- Tracheal epithelial cells were obtained from allergic and nonallergic sheep.
- Ciliary beat frequency (CBF) was measured using microscopy in a perfusion chamber.
- Cells were exposed to prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and LTD4.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in baseline CBF between allergic and nonallergic sheep.
- PGE1, PGE2, and LTD4 caused dose-dependent increases in CBF in both groups.
- LTD4's ciliostimulatory effect was reduced by FPL-55712 and indomethacin, indicating involvement of cyclooxygenase products.
Conclusions:
- Allergic sheep do not show ciliary hyperresponsiveness to PGE1, PGE2, or LTD4.
- The ciliostimulatory effect of LTD4 is mediated, in part, by cyclooxygenase activation and prostaglandin generation.
- These findings suggest a dissociation between airway smooth muscle hyperresponsiveness and ciliary hyperresponsiveness in allergic asthma.