Plasma gastrointestinal regulatory peptides in exercise-induced asthma.

To determine the role of gastrointestinal regulatory peptides in exercise-induced asthma (EIA), we studied plasma levels of various gastrointestinal regulatory peptides before and after a 6-min exercise test in seven subjects with EIA and five normal and three asthmatic subjects without EIA. In the EIA group, plasma vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) rose significantly 5 min and plasma cholecystokinin (CCK) 0 and 20 min after the test compared with the controls. The changes in plasma somatostatin, secretin, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), motilin and insulin showed no significant differences between the two groups. VIP may play an ameliorating role in bronchial asthma, but the relation of CCK to the lung is speculative and awaits further studies.