American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology
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Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell Mol. Physiol. · Feb 2001
Airway vasculature after mycoplasma infection: chronic leakiness and selective hypersensitivity to substance P.
Angiogenesis and microvascular remodeling are features of chronic airway inflammation caused by Mycoplasma pulmonis infection in rats. As airway blood vessels undergo remodeling, they become unusually sensitive to substance P-induced plasma leakage. Here we determined whether the remodeled vessels are leaky under baseline conditions, whether their heightened sensitivity is specific to substance P, and whether the leakage is reversible. ⋯ Inhalation of the beta2-adrenergic receptor agonist salmeterol reduced the leakage by <60%. We conclude that the blood vessel remodeling after M. pulmonis infection is associated with microvascular leakiness due, in part, to the formation of endothelial gaps. This leakage is accompanied by an abnormal sensitivity to substance P but not to platelet-activating factor or 5-hydroxytryptamine and can be reduced by beta2-agonists.