Tracheal Ciliary Beat Frequency Research Articles

Negative impact of anesthesia with midazolam, sufentanil, and propofol used in pediatric flexible bronchoscopy on the tracheal ciliary beat frequency in guinea pigs

There is no direct evidence for the exact cilia-inhibitory effects of opioids, which are generally used to achieve general anesthesia in combination with other anesthetic drugs. These are the reasons, why we analysed direct concentration-dependent or systemic effects of anesthetics (propofol, sufentanil, and midazolam) at a recommended doses administered individually or simultaneously on the tracheal ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in in vitro experimental conditions. Brush biopsy technique was used to remove the tracheal epithelia of guinea pigs for microscopy evaluation of ciliary beating monitored by high-speed video camera and analysed by Ciliary Analysis software. The tracheal CBF was significantly lower in the presence of sufentanil (10−8 mol/L) than in the control group; similarly for midazolam-sufentanil (10−8 - 10−5 mol/L), as well as for midazolam-propofol (10−5 and 10−3 mol/L) combinations. The fact that concurrent administration of benzodiazepine significantly increased the risk of sufentanil-induced cilia-inhibition was pharmacologically confirmed using GABAA receptor antagonist, bicuculline methiodide. The benefit of propofol on the potent cilia-inhibitory effect achieved by benzodiazepine–opioid combination was non-significant. We highlight the pharmacodynamics interaction between anesthetic drugs mediated via GABAA receptor with negative impact on the CBF in a respiratory epithelium under experimental condition rather than the effect of individual anesthetic.

Spatial Mapping of Tracheal Ciliary Beat Frequency Using Real Time Phase-Resolved Doppler Spectrally Encoded Interferometric Microscopy

Ciliary motion in the upper airway is the primary mechanism by which the body transports foreign particulates out of the respiratory system in order to maintain proper respiratory function. The ciliary beating frequency (CBF) is often disrupted with the onset of disease as well as other conditions, such as changes in temperature or in response to drug administration. Current imaging of ciliary motion relies on microscopy and high-speed cameras, which cannot be easily adapted to in-vivo imaging. M-mode optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging is capable of visualization of ciliary activity, but the field of view is limited. We report on the development of a spectrally encoded interferometric microscopy (SEIM) system using a phase-resolved Doppler (PRD) algorithm to measure and map the ciliary beating frequency within an en face region. This novel high speed, high resolution system allows for visualization of both temporal and spatial ciliary motion patterns as well as propagation of metachronal wave. Rabbit tracheal CBF ranging from 9 to 13 Hz has been observed under different temperature conditions, and the effects of using lidocaine and albuterol have also been measured. This study is the stepping stone to in-vivo studies and the translation of imaging spatial CBF to clinics.

Low Dose Carbon Black Nanoparticle Exposure Does Not Aggravate Allergic Airway Inflammation in Mice Irrespective of the Presence of Surface Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.

Exposure to exogenous noxae, such as particulate matter, can trigger acute aggravations of allergic asthma—a chronic inflammatory airway disease. We tested whether Carbon Black nanoparticles (CBNP) with or without surface polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) aggravate an established allergic airway inflammation in mice. In an ovalbumin mouse model, Printex®90 (P90), P90 coated with benzo[a]pyrene (P90-BaP) or 9-nitroanthracene (P90-9NA), or acetylene soot exhibiting a mixture of surface PAH (AS-PAH) was administered twice (70 µL, 100 µg/mL) during an established allergic airway inflammation. We analyzed the immune cell numbers and chemokine/cytokine profiles in bronchoalveolar lavages, the mRNA expressions of markers for PAH metabolism (Cyp1a1, 1b1), oxidative stress (HO-1, Gr, Gpx-3), inflammation (KC, Mcp-1, IL-6, IL-13, IL-17a), mucin synthesis (Muc5ac, Muc5b), the histology of mucus-producing goblet cells, ciliary beat frequency (CBF), and the particle transport speed. CBNP had a comparable primary particle size, hydrodynamic diameter, and ζ-potential, but differed in the specific surface area (P90 > P90-BaP = P90-9NA = AS-PAH) and surface chemistry. None of the CBNP tested increased any parameter related to inflammation. The unmodified P90, however, decreased the tracheal CBF, decreased the Muc5b in intrapulmonary airways, but increased the tracheal Muc5ac. Our results demonstrated that irrespective of the surface PAH, a low dose of CBNP does not acutely aggravate an established allergic airway inflammation in mice.

The Role of Ion Channels to Regulate Airway Ciliary Beat Frequency During Allergic Inflammation.

Overproduction of mucus is a hallmark of asthma. The aim of this study was to identify potentially effective therapies for removing excess mucus. The role of voltage-gated (Kir 6.1, KCa 1.1) and store-operated ion channels (SOC, CRAC) in respiratory cilia, relating to the tracheal ciliary beat frequency (CBF), was compared under the physiological and allergic airway conditions. Ex vivo experiments were designed to test the local effects of Kir 6.1, KCa 1.1 and CRAC ion channel modulators in a concentration-dependent manner on the CBF. Cilia, obtained with the brushing method, were monitored by a high-speed video camera and analyzed with ciliary analysis software. In natural conditions, a Kir 6.1 opener accelerated CBF, while CRAC blocker slowed it in a concentration-dependent manner. In allergic inflammation, the effect of Kir 6.1 opener was insignificant, with a tendency to decrease CBF. A cilio-inhibitory effect of a CRAC blocker, while gently reduced by allergic inflammation, remained significant. A KCa 1.1 opener turned out to significantly enhance the CBF under the allergic OVA-sensitized conditions. We conclude that optimally attuned concentration of KCa 1.1 openers or special types of bimodal SOC channel blockers, potentially given by inhalation, might benefit asthma.

A novel form of PCD that impacts nodal, but not tracheal cilia

Motile cilia, in the embryonic node, drive a leftward fluid flow (termed nodal flow) that establishes the left-right axis. We identified lrm5 in a genetic screen for mouse left-right patterning mutants - the embryos exhibited disturbed situs. Mapping and sequencing revealed a novel mutation in the axonemal dynein heavy chain locus Dnah11: loss of function gives rise to immotile cilia in mice; many human primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) patients with DNAH11 mutations have hyper-motile cilia. To our surprise, unlike the previously characterised Dnah11iv mutant, lrm5 tracheal ciliary beat frequency (CBF) was normal. However, the number of lrm5 homozygotes at weaning was lower than Mendelian ratios would predict. Age of death analysis identified a 50% reduction in embryos between E14.5 and E15.5, consistent with death from embryonic cardiac failure. Expression analysis of early molecular markers of left-right asymmetry revealed randomised or bilateral activation of the normally left-sided Nodal Cascade. As this suggested an early, primary patterning defect, we analysed nodal flow by particle image velocimetry (PIV); rather than the wild-type leftward flow, or the absent flow in Dnah11iv, we observed a chaotic fluid flow in lrm5 nodes. We therefore assessed nodal CBF and ciliary amplitude by DIC microscopy; lrm5 cilia beat at 1.5x normal frequency, but with an abnormal motion. In summary, lrm5 is a novel form of PCD, impacting nodal but not tracheal ciliary beating. We would predict that equivalent mutations in humans might underlie situs defects and congenital heart disease in the absence of respiratory disease.

Effects of Benzalkonium Chloride and Potassium Sorbate on Airway Ciliary Activity

Objectives: Preservatives are indispensable components of aqueous multidose topical formulations. The purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of two representative preservatives, benzalkonium chloride (BKC) and potassium sorbate (PS), on rabbit tracheal ciliary beat frequency (CBF). Methods: Rabbit tracheal ciliated cell culture was established and CBF was determined using high-speed digital imaging methods. The effects of preservatives at different concentrations on CBF were observed over a 10-min exposure period. Results: BKC induced inhibition of CBF in a concentration-dependent manner. Ciliary beating was stopped by 0.01% BKC after 5 min of exposure. A low concentration of PS (0.12%) only resulted in a mild decrease in CBF during a 10-min exposure. The CBF decreased by 13.0% from baseline after 10 min. However, there was no statistically significant difference compared with the corresponding control condition. Application of 0.24, 0.48 and 0.96% of PS to rabbit tracheal cells resulted in an increase in CBF, with an increase of 105 ± 9.8, 107.6 ± 4.0, and 117.1 ± 9.5% relative to baseline CBF after 10 min of exposure, respectively. Conclusions: PS could be considered as a safer and more promising preservative than BKC for use in topical formulations.

Regulation of Tracheal Ciliary Beat Frequency by Nitric Oxide Synthase Substrate L-Arginine

Objectives: Our purpose was to investigate the role of nitric oxide (NO) synthase substrate L-arginine (L-arg) in the regulation of airway ciliary beat frequency (CBF). Methods: We studied the effects of L-arg on CBF of rabbit tracheal epithelial cells by using high-speed digital microscopy and determined the expression and distribution of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in intact tracheal mucosa and in isolated cilia by using immunohistochemistry and Western blot, respectively. Results:L-arg dose- and time-dependently increased CBF compared with the control groups, and the effect was blocked by pretreatment with the NOS inhibitor N^G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Immunoreactivity to 3 isoforms of NOS (nNOS, iNOS, and eNOS) was observed in cilia of epithelial cells, and the signal intensity of eNOS was stronger than that of both nNOS and iNOS. Western blot analysis of isolated ciliary preparations also detected all 3 isoforms of NOS, and the expression level is eNOS > nNOS > iNOS. Conclusion:L-arg increases the CBF of rabbit tracheal epithelial cells via the NOS-NO signal pathway.

Mechanosensitivity of mouse tracheal ciliary beat frequency: roles for Ca2+, purinergic signaling, tonicity, and viscosity

Mechanosensitivity is hypothesized to participate in the regulation of ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in airway epithelia. To investigate this hypothesis, CBF in excised mouse trachea was monitored (microscopy image analysis) while varying mucosal shear (perfusate velocity and/or viscosity; planar flow). CBF increased within minutes of step increase to steady shear stress as small as 10(-3) Pa and decreased within minutes of shear reduction (<or=10(-4) Pa). CBF response was directional, being less with cephalad vs. caudal flow, and was reduced in trachea from mutant mice lacking P2Y2 receptors, as well as by administration of the Ca2+ chelator EGTA, the Ca2+ channel inhibitor La3+, the nucleotide phosphohydrolase apyrase, the metabolically stabilized adenosine receptor agonist 5'-(N-ethylcarboxamido)adenosine, the osmotic agent mannitol, and the viscosity modifier dextran. Brief exposure to exogenous ATP, a candidate mediator, augmented CBF response, although augmentation declined with higher ATP concentration (5.0 vs. 0.1 mM) or longer ATP exposure before shear (55 vs. 20 min). Prolonged extended exposure (45 min) to the metabolically stabilized ATP analog ATPgammaS [adenosine 5'-(3-thiotriphosphate), 0.1 mM] inhibited CBF response to shear. Furthermore, neither ATP nor ATPgammaS substantially increased CBF in the relative absence of shear. With viscosity increase or shear withdrawal apyrase evoked CBF stimulation, inhibitable by the adenosine receptor antagonist 8-(p-sulfophenyl)theophylline. Thus CBF response to shear is finely tuned, directional, La3+ sensitive, likely dependent on extracellular Ca2+ and ATP, involving P2Y2 and adenosine receptor activations, influenced by shear history, tonicity, viscosity, and metabolism/exposure of ATP, and thus reflective of a complex interplay of physical and biochemical actions.

Effect of increased pressure on tracheal ciliary beat frequency

Effects of increased ambient pressure on mucociliary clearance have been poorly investigated. The effects of increasing pressures on ciliary beat frequency (CBF) of guinea-pig tracheal rings were studied in vitro. Increased pressures of 25 and 100 kPa induced a significant and equivalent enhancement of CBF from 30 min after the pressure increase. The increase in CBF observed after a pressure increase of 50 kPa (inspiratory oxygen fraction = 21%), was significantly greater than that observed with an equivalent oxygen tension at atmospheric pressure, i.e. with a gas mixture containing 30% oxygen. Addition of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME) inhibited the enhancement in CBF observed after the 25 kPa pressure increase. Addition of L-arginine reversed the effect of L-NAME. These results demonstrate that a pressure increase applied to tracheal rings, in vitro, induces an enhancement of ciliary beat frequency and that generation of nitric oxide may be involved in this ciliary stimulation.

Roles of hydration, sodium, and chloride in regulation of canine mucociliary transport system.

To gain insight into the homeostatic mechanisms regulating airway ion/water fluxes and mucociliary transport, the canine tracheobronchial airway fluid was perturbed by deposition of hypo- and hyperosmotic aerosols for >1 h. Tracheal ciliary beat frequency (CBF) was measured by using heterodyne laser light scattering. Tracheal mucus velocity (TMV) and bronchial mucociliary clearance (BMC) were measured by using radioaerosols and nuclear imaging. Respiratory tract fluid output (RTFO) was collected by using a secretion-collecting endotracheal tube. In six dogs, CBF increased during water deposition in the airways to 180 +/- 30 mg/min and RTFO increased from 2.2 +/- 0.5 to 18.3 +/- 1.6 mg/min, accounting for <10% of the fluid deposition. TMV and BMC were unchanged. CBF, TMV, and BMC were markedly increased by inhalation of aerosolized 3.4 M NaCl. Aerosolized 0.85 M NaCl, in contrast, decreased BMC. In this case, RTFO represented 24% of aerosol deposition. Aerosolized 0.85 M choline chloride and 0.85 M sodium gluconate enhanced BMC and TMV concurrent with a decrease in CBF. RTFO of sodium gluconate studies exceeded 50% of aerosol deposition. Thus the airways appear to have transepithelial compensatory mechanisms that reduce the impact of a moderate increases in NaCl and hydration load, but when these responses cannot adequately respond because of the delivery of impermeable ions or very high tonicity, removal of the challenges are affected by a stimulation of mucociliary transport.

Excitatory and Inhibitory Neural Regulation of Tracheal Ciliary Beat Frequency (CBF) Activated by Ammonia Vapour and SO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;

Excitatory and Inhibitory Neural Regulation of Tracheal Ciliary Beat Frequency (CBF) Activated by Ammonia Vapour and SO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;

Capsaicin-activated bronchial- and alveolar-initiated pathways regulating tracheal ciliary beat frequency.

We questioned whether the prolonged stimulation of ciliary beat frequency (CBF) to a short exposure of low-dose capsaicin (Wong et al. J. Appl. Physiol. 68: 257-2580, 1990) could be due to the activation of indirect pathways involving neural reflexes initiated independently in the bronchi and alveoli. Tracheal CBF (CBFtr) was measured temporally in anesthetized groups of 10 dogs by means of heterodyne-mode correlation analysis laser light scattering. To elucidate the site of the afferent neural stimulation and the efferent mediators affecting the ciliated epithelium, capsaicin (3 nM) aerosol was delivered for 4 min, either predominantly to the bronchi or to the alveolar regions, with use of pulsed aerosol techniques. This resulted in 13 pg of bronchial (85%) and 10 pg of alveolar (96%) capsaicin deposited, which caused marked stimulation of CBFtr with maxima at 7 and 35 min, respectively. Prior administration of aerosolized indomethacin to the bronchi or aerosolized cromolyn to the alveoli inhibited the bronchial and alveolar responses, respectively. Prior administration of aerosolized hexamethonium to the tracheal lumen blocked the stimulatory CBFtr responses from both capsaicin challenges. Ipratropium or propranolol aerosols delivered to the tracheal lumen also inhibited these responses. It is proposed that these pathways comprise one set of sensitive mechanisms to ensure a prolonged stimulation of CBF to effect the removal of secretions and the irritant from the lungs.

Stationary and nonstationary correlation-frequency analysis of heterodyne mode laser light scattering: magnitude and periodicity of canine tracheal ciliary beat frequency in vivo

Stationary and nonstationary correlation-frequency analysis of heterodyne laser light scattering were utilized to make automated, on-line, objective measurements of tracheal ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in intact, anesthetized canines. The stationary correlation-frequency analysis laser light-scattering technique was used to assess the magnitude of the CBF stimulatory responses induced by aerosolized 10(-5) M fenoterol (sympathomimetic), and 10(-8) M and 10(-6) M methacholine (parasympathomimetic) delivered to the whole lungs of eight barbiturate-anesthetized beagles. The nonstationary correlation-frequency analysis laser light-scattering technique was used to measure the effect on tracheal CBF of increasing the cytosolic calcium ion concentration with a calcium ionophore, A23187. Aerosolized A23187 was delivered to the isolated tracheal lumens of eight beagle dogs in cumulative doses ranging from 10(-9)M to 10(-6) M. Administration of the ionophore synchronized the CBF with a period of 5.3 min. Dose dependencies were observed in both the time to the peak CBF stimulation and the magnitude of the stimulatory response. The magnitude of CBF stimulation was inhibited by prior administration of aerosolized nifedipine (2 mg/ml), a voltage-operated calcium channel blocker. The A23187-induced modulation period of tracheal CBF, was unchanged by nifedipine. These are the first data to demonstrate that the magnitude and periodicity of CBF are two independent coupled processes. The cooperativity of these two processes could be determined in the effectiveness of mucociliary transport.

Neural Pathways Mediating the Response of Tracheal Ciliary Beat Frequency to Inhaled Irritants

Neural Pathways Mediating the Response of Tracheal Ciliary Beat Frequency to Inhaled Irritants

Luminal purinergic regulatory mechanisms of tracheal ciliary beat frequency.

To investigate the modulation of tracheal ciliary beat frequency (CBFt) by purine nucleotides and nucleosides acting on luminal receptors, aerosolized ATP, GTP, AMP-PNP, GMP-PNP, adenosine, and guanosine were each administered separately to the tracheal lumen in eucapnically ventilated, barbiturate-anesthetized beagles. Four studies were conducted in each of seven dogs from a cohort of eight dogs. The CBFt responses were measured on the right lateral surface of the mid-trachea using heterodyne mode correlation analysis laser light scattering. Aerosolized 10(-6) M and 10(-5) M ATP stimulated CBFt from the baseline of 5.9 +/- 1.4 Hz to maxima of 12.1 +/- 1.4 Hz and 13.3 +/- 1.6 Hz, respectively, while the same corresponding ATP-analogue (AMP-PNP) concentrations stimulated baseline CBFt to maxima of 12.7 +/- 4.1 Hz and 18.1 +/- 2.1 Hz, respectively. Similarly, 10(-6) M and 10(-5) M GTP stimulated baseline CBFt to maxima of 14.8 +/- 1.1 Hz and 12.8 +/- 4.6 Hz, respectively. The corresponding GTP-analogue (GMP-PNP) concentrations stimulated CBFt to maxima of 14.5 +/- 2.1 Hz and 18.8 +/- 4.4 Hz, respectively. Prior delivery of 10(-5) M adenosine reduced all these nucleotide-induced stimulatory responses. Prior delivery of 10(-5) guanosine partially reduced the GTP- and the GMP-PNP-induced stimulatory responses. These data demonstrate that nucleotides and nucleosides modulate CBFt through specific P2 and P1 purinergic receptors on the luminal surface, thus providing a direct mechanism within the airways to enhance the transport of mucus.

Short-term interaction of airway and tissue oxygen tensions on ciliary beat frequency in dogs.

The responses of canine tracheal ciliary beat frequency (CBFt) to total lung, tracheal lumen, and peripheral lung hyperoxia, to tracheal lumen anoxia with or without peripheral lung hypoxia, and to isolated tracheal lumen hyperoxia combined with a beta-antagonist were delineated in anesthetized beagle dogs. CBFt was measured using a heterodyne laser light-scattering technique. When oxygen mixtures were delivered to the whole lung, a dose-dependent increase in maximal CBFt was observed from 6.3 +/- 1.0 Hz on air to 13.8 +/- 1.2 Hz on 100% oxygen. When oxygen mixtures were delivered to the isolated tracheal lumen, a dose-dependent increase in maximal CBFt from 6.9 +/- 1.3 Hz on air to 25.7 +/- 6.3 Hz on 100% oxygen was observed. CBFt was unchanged under conditions of peripheral lung hyperoxia. There were no significant changes from room air baseline CBFt of 7.6 +/- 1.5 Hz due to either isolated tracheal anoxia alone or in combination with alveolar hypoxia. CBFt stimulated with 100% oxygen insuffiated to the isolated tracheal lumen decreased from 14.1 +/- 3.2 to 9.5 +/- 1.9 Hz and from 16.5 +/- 1.2 to 9.7 +/- 1.2 Hz in response to 6 and 18 micrograms/kg of intravenous esmolol, respectively. This study demonstrates that short-term, local hyperoxia stimulates CBFt and that a pulmonary or systemically derived factor can be activated to inhibit this stimulation. It indicates that acute airway anoxia and alveolar and blood hypoxia do not suppress ciliary beat frequency. It also suggests that the adrenergic system is involved in the oxygen-induced stimulation of ciliary beat.

Tracheal ciliary beat frequency in baboons: effects of peripheral histamine and capsaicin.

To determine if tracheal ciliary beat frequency (CBFt) in the nonhuman primate could be stimulated indirectly, either by an inhaled irritant or by a mediator potentially released from an inhalation challenge, saline (0.9%), capsaicin (3 x 10(-9) M), or histamine (8 mg/ml) were delivered for three minutes as 100 ml aerosol (0.25 micron MMAD) boluses at the beginning of each breath, followed by 10 sec breath hold. Each of five adult baboons (17-27 kg, Papio cynocephalus) underwent three studies using a randomized block design. The baboons were anesthetized and ventilated eucapnically through an endotracheal tube whose cuff was inflated in the distal trachea. CBFt was measured in the mid-trachea proximal to the cuff at one minute intervals using heterodyne laser light scattering. There was no change in CBFt from a baseline of 7.2 +/- 0.6 Hz (mean +/- SE) following inhalation of saline deposited peripherally. Capsaicin stimulated CBFt for over 80 min reaching a maximum of 14.7 +/- 6.3 Hz 46 min after aerosol delivery. Histamine stimulated CBFt for 90 minutes reaching a maximum of 19.3 +/- 9.9 Hz 67 min after aerosol delivery. The prolonged stimulatory responses of CBFt to peripherally deposited capsaicin and histamine most likely involve both cellular and neural pathways through which the tracheobronchial airways, in response to an alveolar challenge, are cleansed of secretions thus enabling the maintenance of effective gas transport.

Cellular-neural-cellular pathways mediating the response of tracheal ciliary beat frequency (CBFt) to inhaled capsaicin

Cellular-neural-cellular pathways mediating the response of tracheal ciliary beat frequency (CBFt) to inhaled capsaicin

Cellular-Neural-Cellular Pathways Mediating the Response of Tracheal Ciliary Beat Frequency (CBFt) to Inhaled Capsaicin

Cellular-Neural-Cellular Pathways Mediating the Response of Tracheal Ciliary Beat Frequency (CBFt) to Inhaled Capsaicin

Pathways of substance P stimulation of canine tracheal ciliary beat frequency

Substance P (SP), an inflammatory neuropeptide, may be released by intraepithelial nerves in response to an irritant or inflammatory stimulus. To investigate the neural and humoral pathways mediating the response of tracheal ciliary beat frequency (CBF) to topically applied SP, CBF was measured on the ventral midtracheal surface of anesthetized beagles by using heterodyne-mode correlation analysis laser light scattering. In the first study, aerosolized SP, delivered to the lungs of eight beagle dogs, stimulated CBF in a dose-dependent manner from a baseline of 4.9 +/- 0.4 Hz to a maximum of 14.9 +/- 1.5 Hz at dose of 10(-7) M. In the second study, the tracheal lumen was isolated from the bronchial airways by inflating the cuff of an endotracheal tube near the carina. Intravenous hexamethonium bromide (2 mg/kg), ipratropium bromide (0.5 micrograms/kg), and indomethacin (2 mg/kg) were used as blocking agents to inhibit the nicotinic, muscarinic, and cyclooxygenase pathways, respectively. Aerosolized 10(-9), 10(-8), or 10(-7) M SP was delivered sequentially to the tracheal lumen for 3 min at 30-min intervals. SP caused two distinct CBF stimulatory episodes at 4 min (mean time of the maximal response) and at 18 min (mean time of the maximal response) after onset of delivery and returned to baseline after 25 min. SP stimulated CBF from the baseline of 5.1 +/- 0.4 Hz to a maximum of 14.2 +/- 2.5 Hz during the first episode (P less than 0.01) and to 10.4 +/- 0.6 Hz during the second episode (P less than 0.01) at dose of 10(-8) M. These responses were inhibited by all the blocking agents. These data suggest that SP stimulates CBF via a cyclooxygenase-dependent parasympathetic reflex.