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Coupling Mechanisms in Airway Smooth Muscle

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Airway Smooth Muscle in Health and Disease

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Abstract

Our goal in this chapter is to summarize knowledge about the coupling mechanisms that operate during contraction of airway smooth muscle and to coordinate the material presented in other chapters. As electrophysiologists, our orientation to this area is to classify coupling mechanisms as membrane potential (Em) dependent and Em independent. Early observations indicated that K+-depolarized smooth muscle can be contracted by various agonists (Evans et al., 1958). Agonist-evoked smooth muscle contractions can occur without detectable membrane depolarizations (Ito et al., 1979). Agonist-induced contraction of canine trachealis muscle occurs with a smaller membrane depolarization than that seen at equivalent force during K+-evoked contractions (Coburn, 1979). During ACh-induced depolarization and contraction, there is very little effect on force of repolarizing the membrane by injecting hyperpolarizing current, where-as during K+-evoked contractions, repolarization of membrane depolarization using this technique, reverses contraction (Coburn, 1977, 1979). K+-induced contractions of airway smooth muscle appear to be entirely dependent on extracellular Ca2+, but ACh-induced contractions are resistant to removal of extracellular Ca2+ (Farley and Miles, 1977). Thus, ACh-evoked contractions are driven at least in part, by the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores.

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  1. Department of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104-6085, USA

    Ronald F. Coburn & Kenji Baba

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  1. Ronald F. Coburn
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  1. Department of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 19104-6085, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Ronald F. Coburn M.D.

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© 1989 Plenum Press, New York

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Coburn, R.F., Baba, K. (1989). Coupling Mechanisms in Airway Smooth Muscle. In: Coburn, R.F. (eds) Airway Smooth Muscle in Health and Disease. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0779-2_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0779-2_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8078-1

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