Y. Tao et al., GUINEA-PIG ASTHMA INDUCED BY RED SOFT CORAL (DENDRONEPHTHYA-NIPPONICA) INHALATION, International archives of allergy and immunology, 105(3), 1994, pp. 317-324
Spiny lobster fishermen on the Pacific coast of Miyazaki Prefecture in
Japan develop bronchial asthma due to occupational sensitization to r
ed soft coral (Dendronephthya nipponica). To assess the role of sensit
ization in the development of bronchial hyperresponsiveness and the re
lationship between bronchial responsiveness and bronchial inflammation
, we established a guinea pig model of red soft coral induced asthma.
Twenty-four guinea pigs were intramuscularly immunized with a priming
dose of red soft coral, 5 OD280 (15 mg protein) per 0.5 ml, and 0.5 ml
complete Freund's adjuvant on day 1. Booster doses were repeated on d
ay 15. By day 43 all sensitized animals showed high hemagglutination t
iters against red soft coral conjugated sheep erythrocytes and high Ig
G1 titers by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis. On day 43, the animals wer
e challenged by inhalation of red soft coral extracts, 20 OD280 for 30
min. The respiratory resistance was monitored by the oscillation meth
od. The respiratory resistance increased immediately upon inhalation i
n all sensitized animals and returned to baseline within 4 h. The bron
chial reactivity to acetylcholine, measured 6 h after red soft coral i
nhalation in the sensitized animals when the respiratory resistance wa
s returned to baseline, increased significantly (p<0.05) as compared w
ith the values measured 24 h before inhalation. The acetylcholine resp
onse measured 30 h later did not differ from preinhalation levels. The
re was a significant difference in the number of eosinophils (p<0.001)
in lamina propria and epithelium and of lymphocytes (p<0.05) in the l
amina propria 6 h after inhalation in the sensitized animals. There wa
s also a significant difference (p<0.05) in the number of eosinophils
in the epithelium 30 h after inhalation. The increased airway responsi
veness to acetylcholine in the sensitized animals correlated with an i
ncrease in the number of eosinophils in lamina propria and epithelium.