Different bronchial responsiveness to Ach between normal and OA-sensitized guinea pigs after acoustic stress: a role for adenosine

Noise-exposure makes non-sensitized guinea pigs hyporesponsive to Acetylcholine (Ach), while in Ovalbumin (OA)-sensitized guinea pigs the responsiveness to the cholinergic mediator is not modified by acoustic stress (Nieri et al., 1996). The occurrence of bronchial hyporesponsiveness after acoustic stress in non-sensitized guinea pigs was verified also with histamine, obtaining a result similar to that observed with Ach. Moreover, the role of adenosine as modulator of the bronchial responsiveness to Ach after noise-exposure was assessed both in normal and in sensitized guinea pigs. In non-sensitized noise-exposed guinea pigs, the hyporesponsiveness to Ach was abolished by pretreatment of the animals with the peripheral A1/A2 antagonist 8-p-(sulfophenyl)theophylline (8-pSPT, 3 mg/kg i.v.) or with the A2-selective blocker 3,7-dimethyl-1-propargylxanthine (DMPX, 80 microg/kg i.v.) but not with the A1-selective antagonist Xanthine Amine Congener (XAC, 0.1 mg/kg i.v.). In sensitized guinea pigs, pretreatment with theophylline (25 mg/kg i.v.) makes noise-exposed animals again hyporesponsive to Ach, while no effect was obtained with the selective A1 and A2 antagonists employed. Also enprofylline (10 mg/kg i.v.), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor more potent than theophylline, does not modify the responsiveness to Ach in sensitized noise-exposed guinea pigs. The overall data presented suggest the involvement of the peripheral purinergic system in the regulation of airway reactivity after the stressful condition and indicate an altered functionality of this system as a consequence of sensitization. Furthermore, noise-exposure makes it possible to reveal in guinea pigs an opposite influence by theophylline on airway responsiveness to Ach, in sensitized, with respect to normal, animals.