INVOLVEMENT OF THROMBOXANE A2 IN BRONCHIAL HYPERRESPONSIVENESS BUT NOT LUNG INFLAMMATION INDUCED BY BACTERIAL LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE IN GUINEA-PIGS

We examined both a possible association of bronchial hyperresponsiveness with lung inflammatory responses and the role of thromboxane (Tx) A2 in these responses after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure in guinea pigs treated with metyrapone, a cortisol synthesis inhibitor. The increase in bronchial responsiveness to i.v. acetylcholine was transient, with a peak at 2 h after LPS exposure, which was associated with increases in TxB2 and tumor necrosis factor in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. However, the levels of 6-keto-prostaglandin (PG) F1alpha, interleukin-1 and interleukin-6 in BAL fluid, and the influx of leukocytes in airway and pulmonary edema were not associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Oral administration of S-1452, a selective TxA2 receptor antagonist, markedly suppressed bronchial hyperresponsiveness without affecting cellular responses, pulmonary edema and production of PGs and cytokines. These findings suggest that LPS-induced bronchial hyperresponsiveness is dependent on secondarily generated TxA2, which appears to be independent of lung inflammation.