Mucin Secretion by Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide and Nitric Oxide in the Ferret Airway

Kim, Jung Soo

Original Article

Journal of Rhinology 2001;8(Suppl DB Error: syntax error):40-45.
Published online May 31, 2001.

Mucin Secretion by Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide and Nitric Oxide in the Ferret Airway

Jung Soo Kim

Department of Otorhinolarygology, College of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea. sookim@knu.ac.kr

Abstract

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and nitric oxide (NO) are important neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of bronchial tone and pulmonary blood tone. Published studies of the effects of VIP on airway mucus secretion have yielded conflicting results and the effects of VIP in airway mucus secretion still remain uncertain. The purpose of this study was to determine whether VIP and NO stimulate or inhibit mucus secretion in the ferret trachea and to investigate the interaction between VIP and NO on airway mucus secretion. We used a sandwich enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA) to measure mucin secretion and a turbidimetric assay to measure lysozyme secretion from isolated ferret tracheal segments. VIP stimulated mucin secretion in a dose-dependent fashion. At all concentrations tested, neither N-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase) nor S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP)(NO donor) had any significant effect on basal and VIP-induced mucus secretion. We conclude that VIP stimulates mucin and lysozyme secretion, and NO does not play as a stimulator or inhibitor in mucus secretion in the ferret trachea.

Key Words: Enzyme linked lectin assay;Lysozyme;Mucus