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Pulmonary arterial adventitial fibroblasts (PAF), the most abundant cellular constituent of adventitia, act as a key regulator of pulmonary vascular wall structure and function from the outside-in. Previous studies indicate that transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel plays an important role in the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH), but no attention has been given so far to its role in adventitial remodeling. In this study, we thus investigated TRPV4 implication in PAF activation occurring in PH. First, we isolated and cultured PAF from rat adventitial intrapulmonary artery. RT-PCR, Western blot, immunostaining, and calcium imaging (fluo-4/AM) showed that PAF express functional TRPV4 channels. In extension of these results, using pharmacological and siRNA approaches, we demonstrated TRPV4 involvement in PAF proliferation (BrdU incorporation) and migration (wound-healing assay). Then, Western blot experiments revealed that TRPV4 activation upregulates the expression of extracellular matrix protein synthesis (collagen type I and fibronectin). Finally, we explored the role of TRPV4 in the adventitial remodeling occurring in PH. By means of Western blot, we determined that TRPV4 protein expression was upregulated in adventitia from chronically hypoxic and monocrotaline rats, two animal models of PH. Furthermore, morphometric analysis indicated that adventitial remodeling is attenuated in PH-induced trpv4 -/- mice. These data support the concept that PAF play an essential role in hypertensive pulmonary vascular remodeling and point out the participation of TRPV4 channel activity in PAF activation leading to excessive adventitial remodeling.

Caveolae are stiff plasma membrane microdomains implicated in various cell response mechanisms like Ca(2+) signaling and mechanotransduction. Pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC) transduce mechanical stimuli into Ca(2+) increase via plasma membrane stretch-activated channels (SAC). This mechanotransduction process is modified in pulmonary hypertension (PH) during which stretch forces are increased by the increase in arterial blood pressure. We propose to investigate how caveolae are involved in the pathophysiology of PH and particularly in mechanotransduction. PASMC were freshly isolated from control rats (Ctrl rats) and rats suffering from PH induced by 3 wk of chronic hypoxia (CH rats). Using a caveolae disrupter (methyl-β-cyclodextrin), we showed that SAC activity measured by patch-clamp, stretch-induced Ca(2+) increase measured with indo-1 probe and pulmonary arterial ring contraction to osmotic shock are enhanced in Ctrl rats when caveolae are disrupted. In CH rats, SAC activity, Ca(2+), and contraction responses to stretch are all higher compared with Ctrl rats. However, in contrast to Ctrl rats, caveolae disruption in CH-PASMC, reduces SAC activity, Ca(2+) responses to stretch and arterial contractions. Furthermore, by means of immunostainings and transmission electron microscopy, we observed that caveolae and caveolin-1 are expressed in PASMC from both Ctrl and CH rats and localize close to subplasmalemmal sarcoplasmic reticulum (ryanodine receptors) and mitochondria, thus facilitating Ca(2+) exchanges, particularly in CH. In conclusion, caveolae are implicated in mechanotransduction in Ctrl PASMC by buffering mechanical forces. In PH-PASMC, caveolae form a distinct Ca(2+) store facilitating Ca(2+) coupling between SAC and sarcoplasmic reticulum., (Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.)

There is a growing body of evidence indicating that transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are implicated in calcium signaling and various cellular functions in the pulmonary vasculature. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression, functional role, and coupling to reticulum calcium channels of the type 4 vanilloid TRP subfamily (TRPV4) in the pulmonary artery from both normoxic (Nx) and chronically hypoxic (CH) rats. Activation of TRPV4 with the specific agonist 4α-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate (4α-PDD, 5 μM) increased the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)). This effect was significantly reduced by a high concentration of ryanodine (100 μM) or chronic caffeine (5 mM) that blocked ryanodine receptor (RyR) but was insensitive to xestospongin C (10 μM), an inositol trisphosphate receptor antagonist. Inhibition of RyR1 and RyR3 only with 10 μM of dantrolene did not attenuate the 4α-PDD-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increase. Western blotting experiments revealed the expression of TRPV4 and RyR2 with an increase in both receptors in pulmonary arteries from CH rats vs. Nx rats. Accordingly, the 4α-PDD-activated current, measured with patch-clamp technique, was increased in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) from CH rats vs. Nx rats. 4α-PDD increased isometric tension in artery rings, and this response was also potentiated under chronic hypoxia conditions. 4α-PDD-induced calcium response, current, and contraction were all inhibited by the selective TRPV4 blocker HC-067047. Collectively, our findings provide evidence of the interplay between TRPV4 and RyR2 in the Ca(2+) release mechanism and contraction in PASMC. This study provides new insights onto the complex calcium signaling in PASMC and point out the importance of the TRPV4-RyR2 signaling pathway under hypoxic conditions that may lead to pulmonary hypertension.

Sildenafil, a potent type 5 nucleotide-dependent phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor, has been recently proposed as a therapeutic tool to treat or prevent pulmonary artery hypertension (PAHT). We thus studied the effect of sildenafil on both the calcium signaling of isolated pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) and the reactivity of pulmonary artery (PA) obtained from chronic hypoxia (CH)-induced pulmonary hypertensive rats compared with control (normoxic) rats. CH rats were maintained in an hypobaric chamber (50.5 kPa) for 3 wk leading to full development of PAHT. Intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) was measured in PASMCs loaded with the calcium fluorophore indo 1. Unlike in control rats, sildenafil (10-100 nM) decreased the resting [Ca2+]i value in PASMCs obtained from CH rats. In PASMCs from both control and CH rats, sildenafil concentration dependently inhibited the [Ca2+]i response induced by G-coupled membrane receptor agonists such as angiotensin II and phenylephrine but had no effect on the amplitude of the [Ca2+]i response induced by caffeine. Sildenafil (0.1 nM-1 microM) concentration dependently reduced basal PA tone that is present in CH rats and relaxed PA rings precontracted with phenylephrine in both control and CH rats. These data show that sildenafil is a potent pulmonary artery relaxant in CH rats and that it normalizes CH-induced increases in resting [Ca2+]i and basal tone. Consequently, pharmacological inhibition of sildenafil-sensitive PDE5 downregulates the Ca2+ signaling pathway involved in this model of pulmonary hypertension.

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a potent pulmonary vasoconstrictor and contributes to hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Small intrapulmonary vessels are very sensitive to hypoxia and play a major role for blood flow regulation in the lung. Thus we have investigated the mechanisms involved in the calcium signal to 5-HT in rat small intrapulmonary artery (IPA). Effects of 5-HT were examined in isolated IPA (external diameter <250 microm) from rat. Digital imaging with fura-PE3 was used to record intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) and to follow external diameter of the vessels. 5-HT induced a sustained [Ca(2+)](i) variation that was sensitive to the inhibitor of the 5-HT(2A) receptors, ketanserin, and insensitive to voltage-dependent L-type calcium channel blockers (nitrendipine and nicardipine) or voltage-independent calcium channel antagonists (LOE-908, SKF-96365, and gadolinium). The calcium response to 5-HT was also not modified by a sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor (cyclopiazonic acid; CPA), which depletes intracellular calcium stores. CPA alone activated a capacitative calcium channel that was sensitive to LOE-908 and insensitive to SKF-96365 and gadolinium. The sustained calcium signal to 5-HT was partly blocked by inhibitors of arachidonic acid production (RHC-80267 and isotetrandrine) and mimicked by application of exogenous arachidonic acid. These results suggest that activation of a noncapacitative, arachidonic acid-sensitive, receptor-operated calcium channel contributes to 5-HT-induced sustained calcium increase in small IPA.

Tryptase, the major mast cell product, is considered to play an important role in airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness. Tryptase produces different, sometimes opposite, effects on airway responsiveness (bronchoprotection and/or airway contraction). This study was designed to examine the effect of human lung tryptase and activation of protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 by synthetic activated peptide (AP) SLIGKV-NH(2) on Ca(2+) signaling in human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells. Immunocytochemistry revealed that PAR-2 was expressed by HASM cells. Tryptase (7.5--30 mU/ml) induced a concentration-dependent transient relative rise in cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) that reached 207 +/- 32 nM (n = 10) measured by indo 1 spectrofluorometry. The protease inhibitors leupeptin or benzamidine (100 microM) abolished tryptase-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increase. Activation of PAR-2 by AP (1-100 microM) also induced a concentration-dependent transient rise in [Ca(2+)](i), whereas the reverse peptide produced no effect. There was a homologous desensitization of the [Ca(2+)](i) response on repeated stimulation with tryptase or AP. U-73122, a specific phospholipase C (PLC) antagonist, xestospongin, an inositol trisphosphate (IP(3))-receptor antagonist, or thapsigargin, a sarcoplamic Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor, abolished tryptase-induced [Ca(2+)](i) response, whereas Ca(2+) removal, in the additional presence of EGTA, had no effect. Calphostin C, a protein kinase C inhibitor, increased PAR-2 [Ca(2+)](i) response. Our results indicate that tryptase activates a [Ca(2+)](i) response, which appears as PAR-2 mediated in HASM cells. Signal transduction implicates the intracellular Ca(2+) store via PLC activation and thus via the IP(3) pathway. This study provides evidence that tryptase, which is increasingly recognized as an important mediator in airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness, is also a potent direct agonist at the site of airway smooth muscle.

The effect of chronic hypoxia (CH; 1-4 wk) on the electromechanical properties of the rat main pulmonary artery (MPA) was investigated. MPA rings obtained from rats exposed for 14 days to hypobaric (50.5 kPa) CH exhibited spontaneous and rhythmic contractions (SRCs) that were never observed in control (normoxic) rats. SRCs were unaffected by tetrodotoxin, phentolamine, BQ-123 and BQ-788, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, or endothelium removal. CH depolarized smooth muscle cells from -58.8 +/- 9 to -38.6 +/- 5.4 mV and increased the resting cytosolic Ca2+ concentration from 67.3 +/- 11.9 to 112.5 +/- 16.4 nM. CH also induced spontaneous spikelike depolarizations. All of these effects were inhibited by external Ca2+ removal or nifedipine (1 microM). Moreover, depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores with ryanodine (1-5 microM) or cyclopiazonic acid (3 microM) progressively attenuated SRCs. This study demonstrates that CH switches the MPA from a quiescent to a spontaneously active mechanical state. Finally, the fact that SRCs precede the development of right ventricle hypertrophy and disappear when this hypertrophy reaches a maximal value (after 3-4 wk of CH) suggests that SRCs may play a role in the adaptive process of the pulmonary circulation to CH.

The effect of chronic hypoxia (CH) for 14 days on Ca2+ signaling and contraction induced by agonists in the rat main pulmonary artery (MPA) was investigated. In MPA myocytes obtained from control (normoxic) rats, endothelin (ET)-1, angiotensin II (ANG II), and ATP induced oscillations in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in 85-90% of cells, whereas they disappeared in myocytes from chronically hypoxic rats together with a decrease in the percentage of responding cells. However, both the amount of mobilized Ca2+ and the sources of Ca2+ implicated in the agonist-induced response were not changed. Analysis of the transient caffeine-induced [Ca2+]i response revealed that recovery of the resting [Ca2+]i value was delayed in myocytes from chronically hypoxic rats. The maximal contraction induced by ET-1 or ANG II in MPA rings from chronically hypoxic rats was decreased by 30% compared with control values. Moreover, the D-600- and thapsigargin-resistant component of contraction was decreased by 40% in chronically hypoxic rats. These data indicate that CH alters pulmonary arterial reactivity as a consequence of an effect on both Ca2+ signaling and Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile apparatus. A Ca2+ reuptake mechanism appears as a CH-sensitive phenomenon that may account for the main effect of CH on Ca2+ signaling.

Acrolein administered to isolated airways has been shown to alter airway responsiveness as a consequence of its effect on Ca(2+) signaling. To examine the mechanisms involved, we studied the effect of acrolein on ACh- and caffeine-induced membrane currents (patch-clamp) in myocytes freshly isolated from rat trachea. In cells clamped at -60 mV, ACh (0.1-10 microM) induced a concentration-dependent inward current, which, in approximately 50% of the cells, was followed by current oscillations in response to high concentration of ACh (10 microM). Exposure to acrolein (0.2 microM) for 10 min significantly enhanced the amplitude of the low-ACh (0.1 microM) concentration-induced initial peak of current (318.8 +/- 28.3 vs. 251.2 +/- 40.3 pA; n = 25, P < 0.05). At a high-ACh concentration (10 microM), the frequency at which subsequent peaks occurred was significantly increased (13.2 +/- 1.1 vs. 8.7 +/- 2 min(-1); n = 20, P < 0.05). ACh-induced current was identified as a Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) current. In contrast, similar exposure to acrolein, which does not alter caffeine-induced Ca(2+) release, did not alter caffeine-induced transient membrane currents (595 +/- 45 and 640 +/- 45 pA in control cells and in cells exposed to acrolein, respectively; n = 15). It is concluded that acrolein alters ACh-induced current as a consequence of its effect on the cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration response and that the protective role of inhibitors of Cl(-) channels in air pollutant-induced airway hyperresponsiveness should be examined.

Intracellular Ca(2+) release channels such as ryanodine receptors play crucial roles in the Ca(2+)-mediated signaling that triggers excitation-contraction coupling in muscles. Although the existence and the role of these channels are well characterized in skeletal and cardiac muscles, their existence in smooth muscles, and more particularly in the myometrium, is very controversial. We have now clearly demonstrated the expression of ryanodine receptor Ca(2+) release channels in rat myometrial smooth muscle, and for the first time, intracellular Ca(2+) concentration experiments with indo 1 on single myometrial cells have revealed the existence of a functional ryanodine- and caffeine-sensitive Ca(2+) release mechanism in 30% of rat myometrial cells. RT-PCR and RNase protection assay on whole myometrial smooth muscle demonstrate the existence of all three ryr mRNAs in the myometrium: ryr3 mRNA is the predominant subtype, with much lower levels of expression for ryr1 and ryr2 mRNAs, suggesting that the ryanodine Ca(2+) release mechanism in rat myometrium is largely encoded by ryr3. Moreover, using intracellular Ca(2+) concentration measurements and RNase protection assays, we have demonstrated that the expression, the percentage of cells responding to ryanodine, and the function of these channels are not modified during pregnancy.

The effect of endothelin (ET)-1 on both cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and membrane current in freshly isolated myocytes, as well as on the contraction of arterial rings, was investigated in rat main pulmonary artery (RMPA) and intrapulmonary arteries (RIPA). ET-1 (5-100 nM, 30 s) induced a first [Ca2+]i peak followed by 3-5 oscillations of decreasing amplitude. In RMPA, the ET-1-induced [Ca2+]i response was fully abolished by BQ-123 (0.1 microM). In RIPA, the response was inhibited by BQ-123 in only 21% of the cells, whereas it was abolished by BQ-788 (1 microM) in 70% of the cells. In both types of arteries, the response was not modified in the presence of 100 microM La3+ or in the absence of external Ca2+ but disappeared after pretreatment of the cells with thapsigargin (1 microM) or neomycin (0.1 microM). In RPMA myocytes clamped at -60 mV, ET-1 induced an oscillatory inward current, the reversal potential of which was close to the equilibrium potential for Cl-. This current was unaltered by the removal of external Ca2+ but was abolished by niflumic acid (50 microM). In arterial rings, the ET-1 (100 nM)-induced contraction was decreased by 35% in the presence of either niflumic acid (50 microM) or nifedipine (1 microM). These results demonstrate that ET-1 via the ETA receptor only in RMPA and both ETA and ETB receptors in RIPA induce [Ca2+]i oscillations due to iterative Ca2+ release from an inositol trisphosphate-sensitive Ca2+ store. Ca2+ release secondarily activates an oscillatory membrane Cl- current that can depolarize the cell membrane, leading to an influx of Ca2+, this latter contributing to the ET-1-induced vasoconstrictor effect.

We previously reported that NO2 and acrolein administered ex vivo to the lung altered the subsequent responsiveness of airway smooth muscle. The aim of this study was to determine the dose-response relationship for O3 in both human isolated bronchi and rat tracheae and to investigate the mechanisms underlying O3-induced airway responsiveness. Exposure to 1 ppm O3 for 15 min significantly increased the maximal response to carbachol of rat tracheal rings to 149.6 +/- 5.4% of the reference response to acetylcholine (ACh) compared with that of unexposed rings (131.3 +/- 2.4%, n = 6, P < 0.05). The change in maximal airway responsiveness to carbachol, when plotted against the product of exposure concentration and exposure time to O3, a surrogate for the dose, formed a bell-shaped curve. The peak of this dose-response curve was shifted to the right for human bronchi (50 ppm x min, n = 5) compared with that of rat tracheae (15 ppm x min, n = 6). In the rat trachea, responses to KCl were not altered by O3, whereas those to 5-hydroxytryptamine hydrochloride (5-HT) were significantly increased. Finally, in the absence of external Ca2+, O3 exposure still potentiated the maximal response to carbachol from 73.6 +/- 13.9 to 137.0 +/- 6.0% and that to 5-HT from 21.5 +/- 5.5 to 38.7 +/- 2.2% of the reference ACh response. These results indicate that O3 alters the subsequent in vitro airway responsiveness depending on 1) the dose, 2) the nature of the agonist, and 3) the species investigated. Because in vitro exposure to O3 increases responses to agonists that release intracellular Ca2+ and since this effect is maintained in Ca(2+)-free solution, the mechanism of O3-induced increase in airway smooth muscle responsiveness is likely to involve an enhancement in intracellular Ca2+ release.

Changes in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) induced by ATP and other P2 purinoceptor agonists were investigated using indo 1 microspectrofluorimetry in single smooth muscle cells of the rat pulmonary artery. ATP (100 microM, 30 s) induced 3-4 cyclic rises in [Ca2+]i of decreasing amplitude. The first peak reached 743 +/- 24 nM from the resting value of 103 +/- 5 nM (n = 86). In approximately 50% of the cells, the ATP-induced [Ca2+]i oscillations were accompanied by a small but maintained rise in [Ca2+]i. In a series of 10 cells, the amplitude of this rise averaged 41 +/- 9 nM. The small rise 1) was also induced by 2-methylthio-ATP (2-MeS-ATP) and alpha,beta-methylene-ATP (alpha,beta-MeATP), 2) was insensitive to thapsigargin (TG, 1 microM), and 3) was abolished by the removal of external Ca2+. ATP-induced [Ca2+]i oscillations 1) were not abolished in the absence of external Ca2+, 2) were suppressed by treatment of the cells with TG (1 microM), and 3) were mimicked by UTP but not by 2-MeS-ATP or alpha,beta-MeATP. Both the number of cells that responded by [Ca2+]i oscillations and the maximal amplitude of the response depended on the agonist (ATP or UTP) concentration. The ATP-induced [Ca2+]i oscillations were not modified by tetracaine (500 microM) but were inhibited by forskolin (1 microM) and by phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDB, 0.03 microM). The effect of PDB was reversed by the protein kinase C antagonist calphostin C (0.01 microM). These results suggest that the ATP-induced [Ca2+]i rise is mediated by the activation of P2x and P2u purinoceptors. Ca2+ entry through the P2x receptor channels produces a small and maintained [Ca2+]i rise. [Ca2+]i rise. Stimulation of P2u purinoceptor induces [Ca2+]i oscillations due to cyclic Ca2+ release from intracellular stores through inositol trisphosphate receptor channels.

The effect of angiotensin II (ANG II) on the cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) was studied in freshly (2-8 h) isolated myocytes from the main pulmonary artery of the rat. Myocytes were loaded with the fluorescent indicator indo 1 (1 microM for 30 min) and experiments were performed at room temperature. Short (30 s) applications of ANG II (0.01-10 microM) induced cyclic variations oscillations in [Ca2+]i. The ANG II-induced response was typically composed of three to six oscillations of constant duration (9.8 +/- 0.5 s, n = 40) but of decreasing amplitude. The first oscillation increased [Ca2+]i from 119 +/- 4 to 884 +/- 33 nM (n = 32). ANG II-induced response was concentration dependently inhibited by previous addition to the bathing solution of losartan or SR-47436 (0.01-0.1 microM, each), two specific AT1 receptor-antagonists. In Ca(2+)-free external solutions (containing 0.4-1 mM EGTA), ANG II still produced oscillation in [Ca2+]i. These oscillations disappeared in myocytes pretreated with neomycin (0.1 microM), thapsigargin (1 microM), or phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu, 1 microM). In contrast to ANG II, caffeine (o.5-10 mM) induced only one transient rise in [Ca2+]i, which was unaltered by neomycin or PDBu but blocked by thapsigargin. These results show that ANG II produces oscillations in [Ca2+]i in pulmonary arterial myocytes via stimulation of AT1 receptors coupled to phospholipase C activation. ANG II-induced oscillations appear to be related to the cycling of Ca2+ ions from an intracellular store (presumably the sarcoplasmic reticulum) by a primarily inositol trisphosphate-dependent Ca2+ release.

To examine the role of protein kinase C (PKC) activation in the control of the mechanical activity of human isolated bronchial smooth muscle obtained at thoracotomy, the effect of the phorbol ester phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDB) was evaluated. PDB produced slowly developing and sustained contractions that were reduced 1) by the PKC inhibitor staurosporine and 2) after long-term (12 h) exposure to PDB, which downregulates PKC. Moreover, the inactive phorbol ester 4 alpha-phorbol 12,13 didecanoate had no contractile effect. Removal of external Ca2+ or addition of the Ca(2+)-channel antagonist verapamil reduced the PDB-induced contraction. Passive sensitization of human isolated bronchial rings, i.e., incubation overnight of tissues in serum from atopic asthmatic patients, decreased the maximal response to PDB to 28.9 +/- 8% of the maximal response to acetylcholine (ACh) when compared with that of paired nonsensitized rings, i.e., tissues incubated overnight in serum from normal subjects (46.7 +/- 9.4% of the maximal response to ACh, n = 5, P < 0.05). The decrease in the response to PDB induced by either long-term preexposure to PDB or passive sensitization was reversed when both types of tissues were allowed to recover unstimulated for 3 h before PDB application. These results show that 1) PKC activation induces maintained contractions in human isolated airway smooth muscle that are largely dependent on extracellular calcium; 2) passive sensitization alters the PKC-mediated response in a way similar to that induced by prolonged stimulation of PKC.

The mechanical activity of proximal airways isolated from human lung specimens obtained at autopsy from 11 neonates was studied in response to the following compounds: carbachol, histamine, potassium chloride (KCl), neurokinin A (NKA) (both in the presence and in the absence of the neutral endopeptidase inhibitor phosphoramidon) and isoproterenol. Isometric responses to the various concentrations of each of the compounds were expressed as both raw values of force normalized to smooth muscle cross-sectional area (SMCSA), i.e., muscle stress and percentages of the maximal response to acetylcholine. Maximal active muscle stress of human neonatal bronchi was induced by carbachol and averaged 95 +/- 25 mN/mm2 SMCSA (n = 8). The rank of maximal force induced by the contractile agonists was carbachol > histamine > KCl > NKA, and the rank of the concentration of drug producing one-half of the maximum effect (EC50) was NKA < carbachol < histamine < KCl. The EC50 value for isoproterenol was the lowest, although it generated the smallest mechanical response. When compared with results obtained under identical experimental conditions in the human adult lung, except for carbachol and isoproterenol, general trends were an increase in force generation with age and little changes in EC50 values. There was a decrease in carbachol-induced force with age, whereas the opposite was observed with isoproterenol. We conclude that most of the mechanisms that control airway tone in humans are already present in the neonate. Alterations in the response to agonists with the maturational process may have implications in the pharmacologic modulation of bronchial obstruction in neonates.