Are all airways equal?

Dynamic airway constriction in rats: heterogeneity and response to deep inspiration

Airway narrowing due to hyperresponsiveness severely limits gas exchange in patients with asthma. Imaging studies in humans and animals have shown that bronchoconstriction causes patchy patterns of ventilation defects throughout the lungs, and several computational models have predicted that these regions are due to constriction of smaller airways. However, these imaging approaches are often limited in their ability to capture dynamic changes in small airways, and the patterns of constriction are heterogeneous. To directly investigate regional variations in airway narrowing and the response to deep inspirations (DIs), we utilized tantalum dust and microfocal X-ray imaging of rat lungs to obtain dynamic images of airways in an intact animal model. Airway resistance was simultaneously measured using the flexiVent system. Custom-developed software was used to track changes in airway diameters up to generation 19 (~0.3-3 mm). Changes in diameter during bronchoconstriction were then measured in response to methacholine (MCh) challenge. In contrast with the model predictions, we observed significantly greater percent constriction in larger airways in response to MCh challenge. Although there was a dose-dependent increase in total respiratory resistance with MCh, the percent change in airway diameters was similar for increasing doses. A single DI following MCh caused a significant reduction in resistance but did not cause a significant increase in airway diameters. Multiple DIs did, however, cause significant increases in airway diameters. These measurements allowed us to directly quantify dynamic changes in airways during bronchoconstriction and demonstrated greater constriction in larger airways.

Spatial persistence of reduced specific ventilation following methacholine challenge in the healthy human lung

Specific ventilation imaging was used to identify regions of the healthy lung (6 supine subjects, ages 21-41 yr, 3 men) that experienced a fall in specific ventilation following inhalation of methacholine. This test was repeated 1 wk later and 3 mo later to test for spatial recurrence. Our data showed that 53% confidence interval (CI; 46%, 59%) of volume elements that constricted during one methacholine challenge did so again in another and that this quantity did not vary with time; 46% CI (28%, 64%) recurred 1 wk later, and 56% CI (51%, 61%) recurred 3 mo later. Previous constriction was a strong predictor for future constriction. Volume elements that constricted during one challenge were 7.7 CI (5.2, 10.2) times more likely than nonconstricted elements to constrict in a second challenge, regardless of whether the second episode was 1 wk [7.7 CI (2.9, 12.4)] or 3 mo [7.7 CI (4.6, 10.8)] later. Furthermore, posterior lung elements were more likely to constrict following methacholine than anterior lung elements (volume fraction 0.43 ± 0.22 posterior vs. 0.10 ± 0.03 anterior; P = 0.005), and basal elements that constricted were more likely than their apical counterparts to do so persistently through all three trials (volume fraction 0.14 ± 0.04 basal vs. 0.04 ± 0.04 apical; P = 0.003). Taken together, this evidence suggests a physiological predisposition toward constriction in some lung elements, especially those located in the posterior and basal lung when the subject is supine. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The spatial pattern of bronchoconstriction following methacholine is persistent over time in healthy individuals, in whom chronic inflammation and airway remodeling are assumed to be absent. This suggests that regional lung inflation and airway structure may play dominant roles in determining the spatial pattern of methacholine bronchoconstriction.

Inter-airway structural heterogeneity interacts with dynamic heterogeneity to determine lung function and flow patterns in both asthmatic and control simulated lungs

Asthma is a disease involving both airway remodelling (e.g. thickening of the airway wall) and acute, reversible airway narrowing driven by airway smooth muscle contraction. Both of these processes are known to be heterogeneous, and in this study we consider a new theoretical model which considers the interactions of both mechanisms: structural heterogeneity (variation in airway remodelling) and dynamic heterogeneity (emergent variation in airway narrowing and flow). By integrating both types of inter-airway heterogeneity in a full human lung geometry, we are able to draw several insights regarding the mechanisms underlying observed ventilation heterogeneity. We show that: (1) bimodal ventilation distributions are driven by paradoxical contraction/dilation patterns for airways of all sizes; (2) structural heterogeneity differences between asthmatic and control subjects significantly influences resulting lung function, and observed ventilation heterogeneity patterns; and (3) individual airway dilation probabilities are uncorrelated with prior airway remodelling of that airway.

MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF VENTILATION DEFECTS IN ASTHMA

Airway narrowing by smooth muscle constriction is a hallmark of asthma attacks that may cause severe difficulties of breathing. However, the causes of asthma and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Bronchoconstriction within a bronchial tree involves complex interactions among the airways that lead to the emergence of regions of poor ventilation (ventilation defects, VDefs) in the lungs. The emphasis of this review is on mathematical modeling of the mechanisms involved in bronchoconstriction and the emergence of the complex airway behavior that leads to VDefs. Additionally, the review discusses characteristic model behaviors and experimental data to demonstrate advances and limitations of different models.

Differences in the pattern of bronchoconstriction induced by intravenous and inhaled methacholine in rabbit

We measured bronchoconstriction in central bronchi, and in small peripheral airways causing the emergence of ventilation defects (VD), through two delivery routes: intravenous (IV) and inhaled MCh, in 2 groups of rabbits (A: n=5; B: n=4), using synchrotron imaging of regional lung structure and ventilation. We assessed the effect an initial IV challenge on a subsequent inhaled challenge in group B. Inhaled MCh decreased central airway cross-sections (CA) by 13-22%, but increased VD area by 25-49%. IV MCh decreased CA by 44% but increased the area of ventilation defects (VD) by 13% only. An initial IV MCh challenge reduced regional ventilation heterogeneity following a subsequent inhaled MCh challenge, suggesting the role of agonist-receptor interaction in the response pattern. Heterogeneous agonist distribution due to uneven aerosol deposition could explain the different patterns of response between IV and inhaled routes. This mechanism could participate in the emergence of ventilation heterogeneities during bronchial challenge, or exposure to allergen in asthmatic patients.