Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Pharmacology
. 1983 Apr;78(4):687–691. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1983.tb09421.x

Effect of nifedipine on constriction of human tracheal strips in vitro.

J M Drazen, C H Fanta, P G Lacouture
PMCID: PMC2044751  PMID: 6850166

Abstract

1 Autopsy specimens of human trachealis muscle were used to investigate the effect of the calcium channel blocker, nifedipine, on airway smooth muscle constriction. With these tracheal strips, two consecutive cumulative concentration-effect curves to histamine (0.1-100 microM) obtained at a 60 min interval were highly reproducible. 2 We examined the effects of adding nifedipine (2.9 microM) to the incubation medium before the second histamine response. The concentration-effect relationships determined after nifedipine incubation were significantly different from control: the response to 100 microM histamine was reduced by approximately one-half (to 2.53 +/- 0.6 g; P less than 0.025), and the concentration of histamine causing 40% of the maximal control contraction (EC40) increased nearly ten fold (to 36.9 +/- 10.5 microM; P less than 0.02). 3 In two additional tracheal strips submaximally constricted with 10 microM histamine, nifedipine 2.9 microM caused complete relaxation to resting tension or below. 4 These results indicate a direct inhibitory effect of nifedipine on airway smooth muscle constriction and partial dependence of human trachealis muscle on calcium ion fluxes for initiation and maintenance of contraction. In addition, the results suggest a potential mechanism for the inhibitory effects of calcium channel blocking drugs in exercise-induced asthma.

Full text

PDF
687

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Cerrina J., Denjean A., Alexandre G., Lockhart A., Duroux P. Inhibition of exercise-induced asthma by a calcium antagonist, nifedipine. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1981 Feb;123(2):156–160. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1981.123.2.156. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Coburn R. F. The airway smooth muscle cell. Fed Proc. 1977 Dec;36(13):2692–2697. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Fanta C. H., Venugopalan C. S., Lacouture P. G., Drazen J. M. Inhibition of bronchoconstriction in the guinea pig by a calcium channel blocker, nifedipine. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1982 Jan;125(1):61–66. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1982.125.1.61. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Foreman J. C., Hallett M. B., Mongar J. L. The relationship between histamine secretion and 45calcium uptake by mast cells. J Physiol. 1977 Sep;271(1):193–214. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1977.sp011996. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HAWKINS D. F., SCHILD H. O. The action of drugs on isolated human bronchial chains. Br J Pharmacol Chemother. 1951 Dec;6(4):682–690. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1951.tb00680.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Himori N., Taira N. Differential effects of the calcium-antagonistic vasodilators, nifedipine and verapamil, on the tracheal musculature and vasculature of the dog. Br J Pharmacol. 1980 Apr;68(4):595–597. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1980.tb10848.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kitamura S., Ishihara Y. Effect of calcium antagonist, etafenone hydrochloride, on the isolated guinea pig tracheal tissues. Arzneimittelforschung. 1980;30(7):1088–1091. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kneussl M. P., Richardson J. B. Alpha-adrenergic receptors in human and canine tracheal and bronchial smooth muscle. J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1978 Aug;45(2):307–311. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1978.45.2.307. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. McFadden E. R., Jr Calcium-channel blocking agents and asthma. Ann Intern Med. 1981 Aug;95(2):232–233. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-95-2-232. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Middleton E., Jr Antiasthmatic drug therapy and calcium ions: review of pathogenesis and role of calcium. J Pharm Sci. 1980 Feb;69(2):243–251. doi: 10.1002/jps.2600690244. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. ROSA L. M., McDOWALL R. J. S. The action of the local hormones on the isolated human bronchus. Acta Allergol. 1951;4(4):293–304. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1951.tb03420.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Richardson J., Béland J. Nonadrenergic inhibitory nervous system in human airways. J Appl Physiol. 1976 Nov;41(5 Pt 1):764–771. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1976.41.5.764. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Rubin R. P. The role of calcium in the release of neurotransmitter substances and hormones. Pharmacol Rev. 1970 Sep;22(3):389–428. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Williams D. O., Barnes P. J., Vickers H. P., Rudolf M. Effect of nifedipine on bronchomotor tone and histamine reactivity in asthma. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1981 Aug 1;283(6287):348–348. doi: 10.1136/bmj.283.6287.348. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Pharmacology are provided here courtesy of The British Pharmacological Society

RESOURCES