Abstract
Our objective was to see if activity of individual slowly and rapidly adapting pulmonary receptors was changed by pulmonary fibrosis.
Diffuse interstitial lung fibrosis of several weeks’ standing was induced in 8 rabbits. They displayed changes in lung mechanics and patterns of breathing, when compared to control rabbits, similar to those seen in patients who develop pulmonary fibrosis. Lung reflexes in the fibrotic rabbits were more profoundly changed than eupneic breathing in a way that could be interpreted as slowly adapting receptor activity, which was increased, being overpowered by a prepotent input from pulmonary rapidly adapting receptors. An increase in number of active rapidly adapting receptors was found in the fibrotic rabbits during direct vagal recording. We have demonstrated that pulmonary receptor activity is changed by lung fibrosis. It may be that these changes in receptor activity produce conflicting respiratory drives that could result in the sensation of dyspnea.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Armstrong DJ, Miller SA (1980) Lung irritant and C-fibre responses to embolism in thrombocytopenic rabbits. J Physiol 303:41–42
Bartlett D Jr, Sant’ Ambrogio G, Wise JCM (1976) Transduction properties of tracheal stretch receptors. J Physiol 258:421–432
Bradley GW, Scheumier N (1977) The transduction properties of tracheal stretch receptors in vitro. Respir Physiol 31:356–375
Carrington CG (1968) Organizing interstitial pneumonia: definition of the lesion and attempts to devise an experimental model. Yale J Biol Med 40:352–363
Coleridge HM, Coleridge JCG (1986) Reflexes evoked from the respiratory tract. In: Fishman AP (ed) Handbook of physiology: respiration. Washington, DC: Am Physiol Soc p 395–429
Clark FJ, Euler C von (1972) On the regulation of depth and rate of breathing. J Physiol 222:267–295
Davies A, Roumy M (1982) The effect of transient stimulation of lung irritant receptors on the pattern of breathing in rabbits. J Physiol (London) 324:389–401
Derks CM, Jacobovitz-Derks DJ (1977) Embolic pneumopathy induced by oleic acid; a systematic morphologic study. Am J Pathol 87:143–151
Euler C von (1970) Fusimotor activity in spindle control of natural movements with special reference to respiration. In: Andersen D, Jansen J (eds) Excitatory synaptic mechanisms. London: Plenum Press, pp 341–347
Frankstein SI, Sergeeva ZN (1966) Tonic activity of lung receptors in normal and pathological states. Nature 210:1054–1055
Guz A, Noble MIM, Widdicombe JG, Trenchard D, Mushin WW (1966) The role of the vagal and glossopharyngeal afferent nerves in respiratory sensation, control of breathing and arterial pressure regulation in conscious man. Clin Sci 30:161–170
Homberger AC (1968) Beitrag zum Nachweis von Kollapsafferenzen im Lungenvagus des Kaninchens. Helv Physiol Pharmacol Acta 6:97–118
Knowlton GC, Larraby MG (1970) A unitary analysis of pulmonary volume receptors. Am J Physiol 151:547–553
Knox CK (1973) Characteristics of inflation and deflation reflexes during expiration in the cat. J Neurophysiol 36:284–295
Kohl J, Koller EA (1980) Stretch receptor activity during irritant induced tachypnoea in the rabbit. Pfluegers Arch 386:231–237
Lourenco RV, Turino GM, Davidson LAG, Fishman AP (1965) The regulation of ventilation in diffuse pulmonary fibrosis. Am J Med 38:199–216
Marshall R, Karlish AJ (1971) Lung function in sarcoidosis. Thorax 26:402–405
Mead J, Whittenberger JL (1953) Physical properties of human lungs measured during spontaneous respiration. J Appl Physiol 5:779–796
Mills J, Sellick H, Widdicombe JG (1973) The role of lung irritant receptors in respiratory responses to multiple pulmonary embolism, anaphylaxis and histamine-induced bronchoconstriction. J Physiol 235:775–782
Nadel JA, Widdicombe JG (1962) Effects of changes in blood gas tensions and carotid sinus pressure on tracheal volume and total lung resistance to air flow. J Physiol (Lond) 63:13–33
Paintal AS (1973) Vagal sensory receptors and their reflex effects. Physiol Rev 53:159–227
Peltier LF (1956) Fat embolism III. The toxic properties of neutral fat and free fatty acids. Surgery 40:665–670
Phillipson EA, Murphy E, Kozar LF, Schultze RK (1975) Role of vagal stimuli in exercise ventilation in dogs with experimental pneumonitis. J Appl Physiol 39:76–85
Renzi G, Milic-Emili J, Grassino AE (1982) The pattern of breathing in diffuse lung fibrosis. Clin Respir Physiol 18:461–472
Sant’Ambrogio, G (1982) Information arising from the tracheobronchial tree of mammals. Physiol Rev 62:531–569
Sellick H, Widdicombe JG (1969) The activity of lung irritant receptors during pneumothorax, hyperpnoea and pulmonary vascular congestion. J Physiol (London) 203:359–382
Snider GL, Lucey EC, Stone PJ (1986) Animal models of emphysema. Am Rev Respir Dis 133:49–169
Vizek M, Frydrychova M, Houstek S, Palecek F (1983) Effect of vagal cooling on lung functional residual capacity in rats with pneumonia. Bull Eur Physiopathol Respir 19:23–26
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Davies, A., Pack, R.J. Lung reflexes and receptor activity in a rabbit model of pulmonary fibrosis. Lung 169, 263–273 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02714162
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02714162