Peripheral airway hyperresponsiveness in the choline-deficiently fed rat
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Updated: Nov 8, 2026

Assessment of Respiratory Function in Conscious Mice by Double-chamber Plethysmography
Published on: July 10, 2018
S Itabashi1, T Ohrui, K Sekizawa
1Department of Geriatric Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Abstract:
Rats fed with choline-deficient diets are known as a model of aging and learning impairments due to acetylcholine (ACh) deficiency in the brain which may be associated with a decrease in acetylcholinesterase (AChE; EC 3.1.1.7). To determine the role of AChE in bronchial responsiveness, we examined the contractile response of isolated lung parenchymal strips to ACh in control rats and rats fed with choline-deficient diets. Concentration-response curves to ACh shifted to the lower concentrations and the maximum response to ACh was greater in rats fed with choline-deficient diets than in control rats (P < 0.01). Physostigmine (10(-6) M) mimicked effects of choline-deficient diets on the contractile response to ACh. However, concentration response curves to carbachol and 5-hydroxytryptamine did not differ between control rats and rats fed with choline-deficient diets. Choline-deficient diets significantly decreased the AChE activity from homogenates of lung parenchymal tissues (P < 0.01). These results suggest that a decrease in AChE activity of lung tissues may relate to airway hyperresponsiveness to ACh.
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