Biomedical subjects

M Wills-Karp

Publications and source records attributed to M Wills-Karp.

45 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1994

Depletion of murine CD4+ T lymphocytes prevents antigen-induced airway hyperreactivity and pulmonary eosinophilia.

The pathogenesis of asthma remains unclear. An in vivo murine model of antigen-induced airway hyperreactivity and inflammation was developed to investigate the possibility, suggested by a wealth of descriptive human data, that alterations in immunoregulation are important in the genesis of airway hyperreactivity. A/J mice developed airway hyperreactivity and markedly increased numbers of pulmonary inflammatory cells following intraperitoneal sensitization and intratracheal challenge with sheep red blood cells. Notably, eosinophils were a prominent component of the inflammatory infiltrate. The dependence of these phenomena, both pathologic and functional, on CD4+ T lymphocytes was investigated by in vivo depletion of CD4+ cells using the anti-CD4 mAb GK1.5. When administered before antigen challenge, GK1.5 completely prevented both airway hyperreactivity and the infiltration of eosinophils. This model provides the first direct demonstration of the dependence of airway hyperreactivity upon CD4+ T lymphocytes, and the results are consistent with the possibility that eosinophils are effectors of this response.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed1993

Age-related changes in pulmonary muscarinic receptor binding properties.

The goal of this study was to elucidate mechanisms responsible for age-related reductions in responsiveness to cholinergic muscarinic stimulation in guinea pigs, by examining the binding properties of muscarinic receptors and their coupling to guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins as a function of animal age. In addition, the binding constants of three selective muscarinic receptor antagonists pirenzepine, [11-((2-[(diethylamino)methyl]-1-piperidinyl)-acetyl)-5, 11-dihydro-6H-pyrido(2,3)(1,4)benzodiazepine-6-on], and 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine methobromide were examined. We found that there were no changes in either the receptor density or the affinity of the muscarinic receptor with age. There was a significant reduction in the affinity constant for the high-affinity agonist binding site in the old tissues (7.63 +/- 0.08) compared with the young tissues (8.31 +/- 0.10). Guanine nucleotides lowered agonist affinity for the receptor in young lungs, however, they had no effect on agonist binding in old tissues. Antagonist competition binding curves in young tissues revealed that 73% of the receptors are of the M2 type, with 27% being of the M3 subtype. In contrast, antagonist competition binding curves in the old tissues revealed that 37% of the receptors were of the M2 subtype, 30% were M3, and 33% were of the M1 subtype. Our studies provide evidence that the loss of sensitivity to cholinergic muscarinic stimulation in the senescent lung may be due to changes in both muscarinic receptor subtypes and receptor coupling to G proteins.

Aging↗

PubMed1993

Elevated lung G protein levels and muscarinic receptor affinity in a mouse model of airway hyperreactivity.

A genetic model of airway hyperreactivity has been described in which strains of mice are hyperresponsive (A/J) or hyporesponsive (C3H/HeJ) to intravenous acetylcholine challenge. To determine the mechanism of this differential responsiveness, we compared beta 2-adrenergic and muscarinic cholinergic receptor properties and their coupling to guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins) in peripheral lung membrane fractions from these strains. No significant differences were found between the strains with regard to beta 2-adrenergic or muscarinic receptor density or antagonist affinity. No strain difference was found in beta 2-adrenergic receptor affinity for isoproterenol in the presence or absence of the nonhydrolyzable guanine nucleotide 5'-guanylimidodiphosphate [Gpp(NH)p]. In contrast, affinity of the high-affinity carbachol binding site of muscarinic receptors was threefold greater in A/J lung compared with C3H/HeJ lung (pKH = 7.34 +/- 0.16 vs. 6.79 +/- 0.06, respectively, P < 0.05). In the presence of Gpp(NH)p, this affinity was decreased sevenfold in A/J lung but was not significantly affected in C3H/HeJ lung, suggesting that muscarinic receptors in A/J lung are more effectively coupled to G proteins. Levels of Gs alpha and Gi alpha proteins in peripheral lung were significantly greater in the A/J strain compared with the C3H/HeJ strain (40 and 20% greater, respectively). These studies suggest that airway hyperreactivity in A/J mice is not associated with alterations in beta 2-adrenoceptors, but may be a result of enhanced muscarinic receptor signal transduction due to increased agonist affinity for muscarinic receptors and upregulation of G protein levels.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Increased cholinergic antagonism underlies impaired beta-adrenergic response in ovalbumin-sensitized guinea pigs.

The goal of this study was to determine if the hyporesponsiveness to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation observed in ovalbumin-sensitized tracheal smooth muscle is due to increased cholinergic muscarinic tone or to a defect in the beta-adrenergic cascade itself. We examined the effects of ovalbumin-sensitization on the responsiveness of guinea pig tracheae to agents that mediate relaxation at various steps in the beta-adrenergic cascade when the tracheal tissue was preconstricted with either carbachol or histamine. Ovalbumin sensitization caused significant reductions in the maximal relaxations both to the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol and to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in guinea pig trachealis when the tracheal tissue was preconstricted with the muscarinic agonist carbachol. In contrast, sensitization had no effect on the ability of PGE2 and isoproterenol to relax histamine contractions. Preconstricting the tissues with increasing concentrations of KCl reduced the effectiveness of isoproterenol to relax equally airway tissues from both sensitized and control animals. Forskolin-induced relaxations of trachealis muscle were not altered with sensitization. When tracheal tissues were precontracted with increasing concentrations of carbachol, the effectiveness of isoproterenol and PGE2 to relax airway tissues decreased. Functional antagonism of relaxations by muscarinic agonists was enhanced in the sensitized tissues, since the concentration of carbachol necessary to reduce beta-adrenoceptor-induced relaxations to the same degree as in the control animals was a log dose lower. These results suggest that the impaired beta-adrenoceptor response in sensitized tissues is not due to an intrinsic defect in the beta-adrenergic cascade but to an enhancement of a muscarinic cholinergic pathway.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Organ culture with proinflammatory cytokines reproduces impairment of the beta-adrenoceptor-mediated relaxation in tracheas of a guinea pig antigen model.

The challenge of previously sensitized guinea pigs with aerosolized ovalbumin resulted in impairment of the beta-adrenoceptor-mediated relaxation as measured by the in vitro isometric assay of tracheas preconstricted with endothelin-1 or carbamylcholine. Numbers and affinities of beta-adrenoceptors in lung membranes of these animals were not altered under these conditions, although the antigen challenge caused an inflammatory response, as evident from the accumulation of inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids. In order to investigate the pathophysiologic role of inflammation in hyperreactive airways, isolated guinea pig tracheas were cultured with proinflammatory cytokines such as human recombinant tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), or interleukin-2 (IL-2). None of these cytokines affected the contractile response of tracheas to carbamylcholine. After preconstriction with carbamylcholine, the TNF-alpha- and IL-1 beta-pretreated tissues produced a significant reduction in the maximal relaxation induced by isoproterenol, whereas the IL-2 pretreatment had no effect. The reduction of the isoproterenol-mediated relaxation by the IL-1 beta treatment was time and dose dependent. Our present observations suggest that in vitro incubation of naive tracheas with proinflammatory cytokines is able to reproduce apparent beta-adrenoceptor impairment as seen in the airways of antigen-challenged guinea pigs of asthma model.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Effects of age on muscarinic agonist-induced contraction and IP accumulation in airway smooth muscle.

The effects of age on carbachol-stimulated force development and [3H]inositol phosphate production was studied in tracheal rings from guinea pigs aged 1 month and 25 months of age. The pD2 for the contractile response to carbachol was significantly reduced in tracheal tissues from old animals as compared to that of the young tissues (6.49 +/- 0.04, 7.09 +/- 0.04, n = 12), respectively. In contrast, inositol phosphate formation was not altered with increasing age when stimulated by carbachol or NaF, a direct activator of G proteins. Carbachol-induced inositol phosphate accumulation was inhibited by treatment with 1 micrograms/ml pertussis toxin, suggesting that IP1 accumulation is coupled to a pertussis-toxin-sensitive protein. The pD2 values for contraction (7.09 +/- 0.09, 6.49 +/- 0.04) were significantly different from the pD2 values for IP1 accumulation (4.72 +/- 0.14, 5.10 +/- 0.18) in both young and old tissues, respectively. These data suggest that IP1 accumulation is not responsible for the decreased contractile ability in tracheal smooth muscle during aging.

Aging↗

PubMed1991

Dysfunction of M2-muscarinic receptors in pulmonary parasympathetic nerves after antigen challenge.

The effect of antigen challenge on the function of neuronal M2-muscarinic autoreceptors in the lungs was studied in anesthetized guinea pigs. Guinea pigs were injected intraperitoneally with saline (control group) or ovalbumin (10 mg/kg) on days 1, 3, and 5. One group of sensitized animals was challenged on days 20-25 with aerosolized ovalbumin for 5 min/day (challenged group), while another group of the sensitized animals was not challenged (sensitized group). On day 26 the animals were anesthetized, paralyzed, tracheostomized, and artificially ventilated. Pulmonary inflation pressure (Ppi), tidal volume, blood pressure, and heart rate were recorded. Both vagus nerves were cut, and electrical stimulation of the distal portions caused bronchoconstriction (measured as an increase in Ppi) and bradycardia. In the control group, pilocarpine (1-100 micrograms/kg iv) attenuated vagally induced bronchoconstriction by stimulating inhibitory M2-muscarinic receptors on parasympathetic nerves in the lungs. Conversely, blockade of these receptors with the antagonist gallamine (0.1-10 mg/kg iv) produced a marked potentiation of vagally induced bronchoconstriction. These results confirm previous findings. In the challenged guinea pigs, pilocarpine did not inhibit vagally induced bronchoconstriction. Furthermore, gallamine did not potentiate vagally induced bronchoconstriction to the same degree as in the controls. In the group of animals that was sensitized but not challenged, the potentiation of vagally induced bronchoconstriction by gallamine was identical to the controls. There was no increase in baseline Ppi in the sensitized or challenged animals compared with the controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed1990

Serotonin induces constriction and relaxation of the guinea pig airway.

The response of guinea pig trachea to 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin; 5-HT) was investigated by studying tracheal strips suspended in organ chambers for isometric tension measurements. Serotonin concentrations of 0.1 to 10 microM produced concentration-dependent contractions, whereas at higher concentrations (10-300 microM) the agonist caused concentration-dependent relaxations. The 5-HT2 antagonist ketanserin shifted the bimodal 5-HT response-curve to the right (pA2 for ketanserin was 8.98). The 5-HT1A agonist, (+)-8-hydroxy-2-(di-N-propylamino)tetralin hydrobromide and 5-HT3 antagonist, ICS 205930 (3-tropanyl-indole-3-carboxylate) had no effect on the 5-HT-response curve. Incubation with atropine resulted in a depression of the maximal contractility and an increase in the EC50 without changing the bimodal nature of the concentration-response curve. Hexamethonium was able to block the atropine effect without significantly affecting the 5-HT concentration-response curve. Neither the constriction nor the relaxation was altered by propranolol, chlorpheniramine or capsaicin pretreatment. Histamine and carbachol preconstricted airways were also relaxed by 5-HT in a concentration-dependent fashion and this relaxation was antagonized by ketanserin (pKb for ketanserin in histamine preconstricted airways was 9.4). Epithelial denudation did not inhibit the 5-HT-induced relaxation. 5-HT stimulated inositol-monophosphate production which also exhibited a bimodal response and correlated well with the functional response. The above findings suggest that 5-HT causes both constriction and relaxation of the guinea pig airway, and that both responses are antagonized by a 5-HT2 receptor blocker. In addition, part of the constrictor response of 5-HT is mediated through a cholinergic preganglionic pathway. Finally, inositol-monophosphate production induced by 5-HT correlates with the functional response.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Gene expression analysis in a murine model of allergic asthma reveals overlapping disease and therapy dependent pathways in the lung.

Accumulating evidence in animal models and human asthma support a central role for IL-13 signaling in disease pathogenesis. In order to identify asthma and therapy associated genes, global transcriptional changes were monitored in mouse lung following antigen challenge (ovalbumin (OVA)), either alone or in the presence of a soluble IL-13 antagonist. Changes in whole lung gene expression after instillation of mIL-13 were also measured both in wild type and STAT6 deficient mice. A striking overlap in the gene expression profiles induced by either OVA challenge or mIL-13 was observed, further strengthening the relationship of IL-13 signaling to asthma. Consistent with results from functional studies, a subset of the OVA-induced gene expression was significantly inhibited by a soluble IL-13 antagonist while IL-13-modulated gene expression was completely attenuated in the absence of STAT6-mediated signaling. Results from these experiments greatly expand our understanding of asthma and provide novel molecular targets for therapy and potential biomarkers of IL-13 antagonism.

Animals↗