Stimulation of ciliary beat frequency by autonomic agonists: in vivo.

beta 2-Adrenergic bronchodilator and muscarinic cholinergic bronchoconstrictor agonists both stimulate ciliary activity in vitro. To test the hypothesis that increases in autonomic activity would result in increases in ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in vivo, a correlation analysis heterodyne laser light-scattering system was developed and validated to measure the stimulating effects of sympathomimetic and parasympathomimetic agonists on tracheal CBF in intact, anesthetized beagles. The mean baseline CBF from 42 studies of 274 measurements in 9 (5 male and 4 female) adult beagles was 6.6 +/- 1.1 Hz. The stimulating effects of a beta 2-adrenergic agonist, fenoterol, and a muscarinic cholinergic agonist, methacholine, on CBF were studied on four and eight beagles, respectively. The studies were randomized and blinded. Aerosolized 10(-5) M fenoterol stimulated the CBF from the base line of 6.8 +/- 2.5 to 32.0 +/- 17.9 Hz in four dogs. Aerosolized methacholine stimulated the CBF from the base line of 5.8 +/- 0.7 to 9.4 +/- 3.0 Hz for 10(-8) M, and to 12.6 +/- 3.1 Hz for 10(-6) M in eight dogs. These are the first data obtained in intact animals that demonstrate CBF in the lower respiratory tract is regulated by autonomic agonists.