In vitro responses to antigen stimulation: comparison between human lung parenchyma resected from asthmatic patients and non-asthmatic patients.

BACKGROUND: The airway of asthmatic patients is hyperresponsive to various stimuli in vivo. There are, however, only a few reports that compared the in vivo responsiveness of asthmatic patients and non-asthmatic subjects to those of lung parenchyma in vitro. OBJECTIVES: To compare the contractile response, release of various chemical mediators, and responsiveness to drugs in samples of lung parenchyma excised from asthma patients with those of non-asthmatic subjects. METHODS: Human lung parenchymal strips were subjected to passive sensitization with sera of 5+ RAST titer to mites. The strip was suspended in a magnus bath containing a buffer solution. Parenchymal contraction was induced by PGF2 alpha. After washing, the baseline concentrations of thromboxane B2 (TXB2), leukotriene (LT), and histamine were measured in each bath and then contraction was induced by the addition of a mite antigen. The concentrations of TXB2, LT, and histamine were measured after contraction. The inhibitory effects of TXA2 synthetase inhibitor (DP-1904) and TXA2 receptor antagonist (AA-2414) were also evaluated in both tissue samples. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between lung parenchymal tissues of asthmatic and non-asthmatic patients with regard to PGF2 alpha-induced contraction, antigen-induced contraction, release of chemical mediators, and the response to drugs. CONCLUSION: Unlike the response in vivo, there are no differences in the response to stimuli in vitro between lung parenchymal tissues of asthmatic and non-asthmatic patients.