Subtype-selective blockade of cardiac muscarinic receptors inhibits vagal chronotropic responses in cats

This study was designed to determine if chronotropic responses induced by neurally released acetylcholine are modified by subtype-selective blockade of cardiac muscarinic cholinoreceptors. In anesthetized cats, a single burst of vagal stimulation was generated with an incremental time delay after the P wave of the atrial electrogram (P-Stimulus interval). The slope of the relationships between P-Stimulus and P-P intervals was used to assess changes in responsiveness of cardiac pacemaker to vagal effects throughout the cardiac cycle. An increase in P-Stimulus interval over the initial portion (approximately 120 ms) of the cardiac cycle produced a significant increment in lengthening of the P-P interval. Once the maximal negative chronotropic response was achieved, a further increase in P-Stimulus interval by only approximately 25 ms resulted in profound (by 80-90%) reductions in vagal effects, thus yielding a bimodal vagal phase response curve. Antagonists of M1 (pirenzepine), M2 (methoctramine and gallamine), and M3 (4-DAMP) muscarinic cholinoreceptors produced a reduction in the magnitude of maximal lengthening of cardiac cycle as well as an increase in latency of vagal effects. However, the increment in prolongation of P-P interval induced by a given change in timing of vagal stimulation during cardiac cycle was reduced by M1 and M2 muscarinic receptor blockers, but was unaffected by 4-DAMP. None of the antagonists modified the range of P-Stimulus intervals over which the maximum-to-minimum change of vagal responses occurred. Taken together, these data suggest different contribution of various subtypes of cardiac muscarinic receptors into the negative chronotropic responses induced by brief bursts of vagal stimulation.

Mechanisms determining cholinergic neural responses in airways of young and mature rabbits

Neural pathways help control airway caliber and responsiveness. Yet little is known of how neural control changes as a function of development. In rabbits, we found electrical field stimulation (EFS) of airway nerves led to more marked contractile responses in 2- vs. 13-week-old animals. This enhanced response to EFS may be due to prejunctional, junctional, and/or postjunctional neural mechanisms. We assessed these mechanisms in airways of 2- and 13-week-old rabbits. The contractile responses to methacholine did not differ in the groups, suggesting postjunctional neural events are not primarily responsible for differing responses to EFS. To address junctional events, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was measured (spectrophotometry). AChE was elevated in 2-week-olds. However, this should lead to less and not greater responses. Prejunctionally, EFS-induced acetylcholine (ACh) release was assessed by HPLC. Airways of 2-week-old rabbits released significantly more ACh than airways from mature rabbits. Choline acetyltransferase, a marker of cholinergic nerves, was not different between groups, suggesting that more ACh release in young rabbits was not due to increased nerve density. ACh release in the presence of polyarginine increased significantly in both groups, supporting the presence of functional muscarinic autoreceptors (M2) at both ages. Because substance P (SP) increases release of ACh, SP was measured by ELISA. This neuropeptide was significantly elevated in airways of younger rabbits. Nerve growth factor (NGF) increased SP and was also significantly increased in airways from younger rabbits. This work suggests that increases in EFS-induced responsiveness in young rabbits are likely due to prejunctional events with enhanced release of ACh. Increases in NGF and SP early in life may contribute to this increased responsiveness.

Role of vagal C-fiber afferents in the bronchomotor response to lactic acid in the newborn dog

We addressed the hypothesis that vagal C-fiber afferents and cyclooxygenase products are the mechanisms responsible for lactic acid (LA)-induced bronchoconstriction in the newborn dog. Perineural capsaicin and indomethacin were used to block conduction of vagal C fibers and production of cyclooxygenase products, respectively. Perineural capsaicin eliminated (85%) the increase in lung resistance (Rl; 45 ± 5.6%) due to capsaicin (25 μg/kg), whereas the increase in Rl (54 ± 6.9%) due to LA (0.4 mmol/kg) was only inhibited by 37 ± 4.7% ( P < 0.05). Atropine reduced LA-induced bronchoconstriction (42 ± 2.1%) by an amount similar to that obtained with perineural capsaicin. However, inhibition was significantly increased when atropine was combined with indomethacin (61 ± 2.7%; P < 0.05), implicating cyclooxygenase products in the LA-induced bronchoconstrictor response. We conclude that the mechanisms responsible for LA-induced bronchoconstriction in the newborn are 1) activation of vagal C-fibers, which, through projections to medullary respiratory centers, leads to activation of vagal cholinergic efferents; 2) production of cyclooxygenase products, which cause bronchoconstriction independent of medullary involvement; and 3) an unknown bronchoconstrictor mechanism, putatively tachykinin mediated. On the basis of our data, pharmaceutical targeting of pulmonary afferents would prevent multiple downstream mechanisms that lead to airway narrowing due to inflammatory lung disease.