Basenji-greyhound dog model of asthma: pulmonary responses after beta-adrenergic blockade

To understand the mechanism underlying bronchial hyperreactivity in the Basenji-Greyhound (BG) dog, the effects of propranolol (2 mg/kg) and hexamethonium (5 mg/kg) on base-line pulmonary mechanics and on the bronchial response to aerosol challenges of citric acid and methacholine were studied in five BG dogs. Both propranolol and hexamethonium increased base-line pulmonary resistance (RL) from 0.69 +/- 0.05 (means +/- SE) cmH2O.l-1.s to 1.67 +/- 0.10 (P less than 0.05) and 2.22 +/- 0.45 cmH2O.1-1.s (P less than 0.05) and decreased dynamic compliance (Cdyn) from 190 +/- 10 ml/cmH2O to 154 +/- 9 (P less than 0.05) and 140 +/- 9 (P less than 0.05) ml/cmH2O, respectively. Both propranolol and hexamethonium potentiated the pulmonary response to 10% citric acid given for 5 min (P less than 0.05). RL postchallenge was 4.4 +/- 0.23, 8.1 +/- 0.81, and 7.8 +/- 0.31 cmH2O.l-1.s, and Cdyn was 78 +/- 5, 58 +/- 6, and 51 +/- 3 ml/cmH2O in untreated, propranolol-pretreated, and hexamethonium-pretreated animals. In untreated BG dogs, methacholine (0.075 mg/ml) increased RL from 0.94 +/- 0.25 to 2.2 +/- 0.21 cmH2O.l-1.s (234%) and decreased Cdyn from 223 +/- 39 to 141 +/- 14 ml/cmH2O (63%). In the same animals pretreated with propranolol, methacholine (0.075 mg/ml) increased RL from 1.9 +/- 0.66 to 4.8 +/- 1.37 cmH2O.l-1.s (253%) and decreased Cdyn from 144 +/- 35 to 81 +/- 15 ml/cmH2O (56%). We conclude that propranolol produces airway constriction in BG dogs, as in asthmatic humans and that the effects of propranolol on airways in BG dogs are not due to parasympathetic or alpha-adrenergic predominance.