Anaphylactic contraction of pulmonary blood vessels of chicken.

1 Isolated pulmonary arterial and vein strips from sensitized or non-sensitized chickens exhibited dose-dependent contractions to adrenaline greater than, noradrenaline greater than, 5-hydroxytryptamine greater than, histamine greater than, dopamine. Individual variability in the responsiveness of the vessels to agonists was marked. In general veins were 2 to 25 times more sensitive to agonists than arterial strips. 2 Isoprenaline (a relatively specific beta-adrenoceptor agonist) induced relaxation of the submaximally contracted pulmonary vein and arteries at low doses and contractions at high concentrations. 3 Contractile responses to acetylcholine or carbachol were not regularly recorded; only 50% of the vessels reacted to cholinoceptor agonists over a wide threshold dose range. 4 Chicken pulmonary vessels were found relatively insensitive to bradykinin. 5 Effects of prostaglandins were variable. Prostaglandin F2alpha induced dose-related contractions of the vein and arterial strips; prostglandins E1 and E2 at low doses partially contracted pulmonary artery irrespective of the spasmogen used and further increase in doses induced either no effect or contractions. Prostaglandin E1 induced marked and rapid contractions of the vein. Prostaglandin E2 induced relaxations of the prostaglandin F2alpha-contracted vein only, but produced no effect or slight contractions of the veins partially contracted to other spasmogens. 6 Pulmonary arterial and vein strips obtained from chickens sensitized to horse plasma exhibited Schultz-Dale contractions of variable magnitude and duration to specific antigenic challenge only. In many vessels, antigen-induced contractions were associated with marked increase in spontaneous activity. 7 The importance of the Schultz-Dale reaction in avian pulmonary vessels is discussed in relation to the right heart dilatation associated with anaphylaxis in the chicken.