Formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (FMLP) is a synthetic analogue of bacterial chemotactic factors. We studied the contraction of human airway tissue in vitro by FMLP. FMLP induced a concentration-dependent contraction of all bronchial spiral strips studied (n = 45). The maximum tension generated in response to FMLP was 86.6 +/- 7.0% (SE) of the maximum response to histamine. The contraction was not reduced by the histamine H1-receptor antagonist pyrilamine, the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase inhibitors indomethacin and BW755C, the muscarinic antagonist atropine, or capsaicin which depletes stores of substance P. The concentration-response curve was shifted to the right by the polypeptide antagonist N-t-BOC-phenylalanylleucylphenylalanylleucylphenylalanine and the leukotriene antagonist FPL 55712. When 2 successive FMLP concentration-response curves were performed the maximum response was significantly reduced from 114.8 +/- 9.1% of the histamine maximum to 39.3 +/- 6.1%. The contraction of human airways in vitro by an agent that is structurally and functionally similar to chemotactic peptides released from bacteria may have important implications in airway disease.

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The mechanism of C5a des Arg-induced airway hyper-responsiveness in rabbits was investigated. Airway smooth muscle from rabbits which had been pretreated in vivo, was studied in vitro. Tracheal rings, segmental bronchial rings, subsegmental bronchial spirals and lung parenchymal strips were all prepared from each rabbit lung. Although C5a des Arg produces hyper-responsiveness to histamine in vivo, which is inhibited by indomethacin, the airway smooth muscle responses in vitro from control, C5a des Arg and C5a des Arg plus indomethacin pretreated rabbits did not differ. The neutrophil counts in the tracheal and subsegmental bronchial specimens were increased in the C5a des Arg-treated group. Indomethacin significantly (P less than 0.05) inhibited the neutrophil influx in the subsegmental bronchi. It is concluded that intrinsic smooth muscle function is unaltered following C5a des Arg-induced hyper-responsiveness in vivo.