BLOCKADE OF EOSINOPHIL MIGRATION BY 5-LIPOXYGENASE AND CYCLOOXYGENASE INHIBITION IN EXPLANTED GUINEA-PIG TRACHEALIS

We studied the effects of 5-lipoxygenase inhibition with A63162 and cyclooxygenase inhibition with indomethacin (INDO) on 1) eosinophil chemotaxis and 2) airway narrowing caused by 10(-6) M formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP) in tracheal explants from guinea pigs. Airway narrowing was assessed by calibrated micrometry, and eosinophil migration from the lamina propria was expressed as number of eosinophils contained per 1 cm tracheal segment. After 120 min, treatment with fMLP caused an increase in luminal eosinophils from 6,804 +/- 1,786 to 303,347 +/- 75,609 cells (P < 0.001); airway diameter narrowed by 20.4 +/- 1.4%. In six preparations, A63162 inhibited airway narrowing caused by fMLP by 54.9 +/- 6.1%; INDO had a similar effect on airway diameter. However, maximal inhibition of eosinophil migration was greater after 10(-6) M A63162 (38,393 +/- 7,434 cells; P < 0.001 vs. fMLP alone) than after treatment with 10(-5) M INDO (123,547 +/- 19,499 cells; P < 0.05). We demonstrate a method that permits simultaneous measurements of eosinophil migration and airway smooth muscle contraction in a guinea pig tracheal explant preparation. Our data suggest that eosinophil chemotaxis and changes in internal airway diameter are caused by activation of both 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase pathways and that cell migration is independent of the physical consequences of airway smooth muscle contraction.