Upper-airway inflammation triggered by vibration in a rat model of snoring.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the vibratory mechanical stimulus due to snoring induces upper-airway inflammation in an in-vivo rat model.


METHODS
Prospective controlled animal study.


METHODS
University laboratory.


METHODS
Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 g).


METHODS
The upper trachea of 8 rats was cannulated, and the upper airway was subjected to vibration (60 Hz; +/- 10 cm H2O) with a periodic pattern consisting of 1 second of vibration followed by 3 seconds of no vibration. This snoring-like vibration was applied for 3 hours. The animals breathed spontaneously through a cannula in the lower trachea. In a control group (8 rats), the animals were similarly instrumented, but no upper-airway vibration was applied.


RESULTS
The effect of vibration was assessed by measuring the vibration-induced increase in gene expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha and of the neutrophil attractant chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-2 in the soft-palate tissue. Real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction measurement of mRNA showed that vibration induced a significant overexpression of both tumor necrosis factor-alpha and macrophage inflammatory protein-2: 6.01-fold +/- 2.47-fold (p = .005) and 2.38-fold +/- 0.54 -fold (p = .021) increase when compared with control (mean +/- SEM).


CONCLUSIONS
The mechanical stimulus of vibration per se triggers an early proinflammatory process in the upper airway.
Almendros
Isaac
I
Unitat de Biofisica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
Acerbi
Irene
I
Puig
Ferranda
F
Montserrat
Josep M
JM
Navajas
Daniel
D
Farré
Ramon
R
D000403:Airway Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D054426:Chemokine CXCL2; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism*; D010160:Palate, Soft / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010614:Pharynx / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections; D012913:Snoring / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014132:Trachea / Q000601:surgery; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014732:Vibration
D054426:Chemokine CXCL2; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; C513296:Cxcl2 protein, rat; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha