Journal of Applied Physiology Ad Instruments
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

J Appl Physiol 82: 70-77, 1997;
8750-7587/97 $5.00
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Free
Right arrow Full Text (PDF) Free
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lei, M.
Right arrow Articles by Eidelman, D. H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Lei, M.
Right arrow Articles by Eidelman, D. H.

Journal of Applied Physiology
Vol. 82, No. 1, pp. 70-77, January 1997
GAS EXCHANGE, MECHANICS, AND AIRWAYS

Airway smooth muscle orientation in intraparenchymal airways

M. Lei, H. Ghezzo, M. F. Chen, and D. H. Eidelman

Meakins-Christie Laboratories, Montreal Chest Institute Research Centre, Royal Victoria and Montreal General Hospitals, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2X 2P2

Received 8 April 1996; accepted in final form 21 August 1996.

Lei, M., H. Ghezzo, M. F. Chen, and D. H. Eidelman. Airway smooth muscle orientation in intraparenchymal airways. J. Appl. Physiol. 82(1): 70-77, 1997.---Airway smooth muscle (ASM) shortening is the central event leading to bronchoconstriction. The degree to which airway narrowing occurs as a consequence of shortening is a function of both the mechanical properties of the airway wall as well as the orientation of the muscle fibers. Although the latter is theoretically important, it has not been systematically measured to date. The purpose of this study was to determine the angle of orientation of ASM (theta ) in normal lungs by using a morphometric approach. We analyzed the airway tree of the left lower lobes of four cats and one human. All material was fixed with 10% buffered Formalin at a pressure of 25 cmH2O for 48 h. The fixed material was dissected along the airway tree to permit isolation of generations 4-18 in the cats and generations 5-22 in the human specimen. Each airway generation was individually embedded in paraffin. Five-micrometer-thick serial sections were cut parallel to the airway long axis and stained with hematoxylin-phloxine-saffron. Each block yielded three to five sections containing ASM. To determine theta , we measured the orientation of ASM nuclei relative to the transverse axis of the airway by using a digitizing tablet and a light microscope (×250) equipped with a drawing tube attachment. Inspection of the sections revealed extensive ASM crisscrossing without a homogeneous orientation. The theta  was clustered between -20° and 20° in all airway generations and did not vary much between generations in any of the cats or in the human specimen. When theta  was expressed without regard to sign, the mean values were 13.2° in the cats and 13.1° in the human. This magnitude of obliquity is not likely to result in physiologically important changes in airway length during bronchoconstriction.

morphometry; angle of orientation; cats; human

0161-7567/97 $5.00 Copyright © 1997 the American Physiological Society




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
A. Cojocaru, C. G. Irvin, H. C. Haverkamp, and J. H. T. Bates
Computational assessment of airway wall stiffness in vivo in allergically inflamed mouse models of asthma
J Appl Physiol, June 1, 2008; 104(6): 1601 - 1610.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Eur Respir JHome page
S. S. An, T. R. Bai, J. H. T. Bates, J. L. Black, R. H. Brown, V. Brusasco, P. Chitano, L. Deng, M. Dowell, D. H. Eidelman, et al.
Airway smooth muscle dynamics: a common pathway of airway obstruction in asthma
Eur. Respir. J., May 1, 2007; 29(5): 834 - 860.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Bio.Home page
Y. Bai, M. Zhang, and M. J. Sanderson
Contractility and Ca2+ Signaling of Smooth Muscle Cells in Different Generations of Mouse Airways
Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., January 1, 2007; 36(1): 122 - 130.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
M.-U. T. Tran, A. J. Weir, M. V. Fanucchi, A. E. Murphy, L. S. Van Winkle, M. J. Evans, S. M. Smiley-Jewell, L. Miller, E. S. Schelegle, L. J. Gershwin, et al.
Smooth muscle development during postnatal growth of distal bronchioles in infant rhesus monkeys
J Appl Physiol, December 1, 2004; 97(6): 2364 - 2371.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
S. M. Smiley-Jewell, M. U. Tran, A. J. Weir, Z. A. Johnson, L. S. Van Winkle, and C. G. Plopper
Three-dimensional mapping of smooth muscle in the distal conducting airways of mouse, rabbit, and monkey
J Appl Physiol, October 1, 2002; 93(4): 1506 - 1514.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
E. H. Oldmixon, K. Carlsson, C. Kuhn III, J. P. Butler, and F. G. Hoppin Jr.
{alpha}-Actin: disposition, quantities, and estimated effects on lung recoil and compliance
J Appl Physiol, July 1, 2001; 91(1): 459 - 473.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
F. R. Shardonofsky, T. M. Officer, A. M. Boriek, and J. R. Rodarte
Effects of smooth muscle activation on axial mechanical properties of excised canine bronchi
J Appl Physiol, April 1, 2001; 90(4): 1258 - 1266.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Visit Other APS Journals Online