A model of irritant-induced bronchoconstriction in the spontaneously breathing guinea-pig

1 Inhalation of an aqueous aerosol of citric acid caused bronchoconstriction in anaesthetized guinea-pigs which was abolished by bilateral vagal section. 2 Conscious guinea-pigs developed slow, laboured breathing within 90 s of exposure to citric acid aerosol. The onset of this pattern of breathing was delayed by prior aerosol administration of atropine, ipratropium bromide, isoprenaline and tetracaine. 3 The data suggest that exposure of guinea-pigs to citric acid may be a useful model of reflex bronchoconstriction.