Pulmonary responses of the guinea pig to inhaled A23187: a brief review.

The pulmonary effects of inhaled A23187 are reviewed. Guinea pigs challenged with this divalent cationic ionophore rapidly develop airway obstruction, which is maintained for at least 4 h. Pulmonary inflammation and increased airway responsiveness are also observed. Pharmacologic manipulations suggest that these actions are due to the release of multiple mediators. We have found A23187 challenge to be valuable as an approach for testing potential asthma drugs.