title: Regulation of mucin secretion in the ferret trachea.
abstract: Mucin is the major component of mucus and can be used as a marker for mucus secretion. The purpose of this study was to develop an in vitro method to evaluate the regulation of mucin secretion. To do this, we used a sandwiched enzyme-linked lectin assay to measure mucin secretion from isolated ferret tracheal segments. This assay entailed coating microtiter plate wells with dolichos biflorus agglutinin and detecting the bound mucin that was secreted into a buffer solution by the tracheal segments. We used this method to evaluate the secretory response to four secretagogues: prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), methacholine, and human neutrophil elastase (HNE). Each agent stimulated mucin secretion above baseline secretion (ATP (p = 0.022), PGF2alpha (p = 0.009), and HNE (p < 0.05)), and the relative potency of these secretagogues was PGF2alpha < or = ATP < MCh < HNE. We also demonstrated that there is an anatomic gradient for both constitutive and stimulated mucin secretion, with the distal tracheal segments secreting more mucin per gram of weight than the proximal segments. This fairly simple and reproducible technique can be used to evaluate the regulation of mucin secretion in the airway and to assess the efficacy of agents that might alter the secretory response.
authors.affiliation: St. Louis University Pediatric Research Institute, Missouri 63110, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kishioka
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Seftor
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lartey
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Rubin
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000373:Agglutinins; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D015237:Dinoprost / Q000494:pharmacology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005289:Ferrets; D006801:Humans; D037102:Lectins; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D009077:Mucins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009093:Mucus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D018721:Muscarinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D037121:Plant Lectins; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D019141:Respiratory System Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014132:Trachea / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000373:Agglutinins; D015415:Biomarkers; D037102:Lectins; D009077:Mucins; D018721:Muscarinic Agonists; D037121:Plant Lectins; D019141:Respiratory System Agents; C036554:dolichos biflorus agglutinin; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D015237:Dinoprost; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase