The Effect of Pilocarpine on Vesicular Uptake and Transport of Horseradish Peroxidase by the Guinea Pig Tracheal Epithelium^1-4

Abstract

The quantitative relationship between goblet cell number and airway transepithelial permeability to horseradish peroxidase (HRP) (molecular weight, approximately 40,000 daltons) was examined in the guinea pig. In animals administered 12 daily successive doses of 2.5 mg pilocarpine intraperitoneally, an increase in goblet cell population in the trachea correlated with higher plasma HRP concentrations of all 4 sampling times after intratracheal instillation of 1 mg HRP. Guinea pigs administered a single dose of pilocarpine and studied 1 h later showed a significantly higher plasma HRP concentration at 10 and at 15 min (p less than 0.025) as compared with saline control animals. The morphologic correlates of this enhanced early permeability to HRP after a single dose of pilocarpine appeared to be increased vesicular uptake and accelerated transit across the goblet cells. Our data suggest that pinocytotic vesicular uptake and transport of exogenous proteins in the secretory epithelial cells of the airways may be an important pathway for movement of large polar solutes across the epithelial barrier.

Interaction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with human respiratory mucosa in vitro

“…Cell separation is consistent with loss of epithelial cell tight junctions and may be a precursor to extrusion of cells from the epithelial surface. Current knowledge of the effects of bacterial infection on human respiratory epithelial cell tight junctions is lacking, although it has been shown in animal studies that exposure to cigarette smoke [55,56], nitrous oxide [57,58], P. aeruginosa elastase [59], neutrophils [60,61], and reduced Ca 2+ [62] disrupts epithelial cell tight junctions.…”

Tracheal and bronchoalveolar permeability changes in rats inhaling oxidant atmospheres during rest or exercise

“…Altered epithelial permeability has been utilized to analyze pulmonary injury after exposure of laboratory animals or humans to gaseous pollutants. Increased mucosal permeability was observed in humans smoking cigarettes (Jones et a!., 1980;Mason et al, 1983) and animals exposed at rest to O 3 (Bhalla et al, 1986), NO 2 (Selgrade et al, 1981;Ranga et al, 1980), and cigarette smoke (Boucher et al, 1980;Hulbert et al, 1981). Mustafa et al (1984), noting the coexistence of NO 2 and O 3 in the atmosphere, compared the biochemical effects of these gases when administered alone or in combination.…”

Effect of Histamine on the Permeability of the Nasal Mucosa in vivo

“…This means that histamine does not influence macromolecular transport via the transcellular route, although it significantly increases transport via the paracellular pathway. This is in contrast to the effect of pilocarpine, which increases vesicular uptake and the transport of exogenous proteins (15).…”