Acta Vet. Brno 2006, 75: 329-336

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb200675030329

Adenosine 5'-Monophosphate Aerosol Challenge Does Not Provoke Airflow Limitation in Healthy Cats

K. Vondráková1, R. Van Den Hoven2, R. A. Hirt2

1Clinic for Dogs and Cats, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Czech Republic
2Clin. Dept. for Small Animals and Horses, Clinic of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Veterinary University Vienna, Austria

Received August 31, 2005
Accepted May 11, 2006

The purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of nebulized adenosine 5'- monophosphate on airflow limitation in healthy cats determined by barometric whole body plethysmography (BWBP), in comparison to the effects of carbachol. Ten healthy 4- to 6-year-old domestic shorthair cats were included in the study. Each cat was placed in a BWBP plexiglass chamber (volume 38 l). Changes in box pressure were measured at baseline and after nebulization of vehicle and increasing concentrations of carbachol and adenosine 5'- monophosphate. Airway responsiveness was monitored as increases in enhanced pause (PENH), a unitless variable derived from dose-response curves estimating airflow limitation. The chosen endpoint was the agonist concentration which increased PENH to 300% of the value obtained after saline nebulization (PCPENH 300). Inter-day repeatability of measurements was assessed by repeated bronchoprovocations with both agonists 2-3 days apart. For carbachol, PCPENH300 was reached in all cats and correlated significantly between days (mean ± SD; 0.54 ± 0.42 mg/ml and 0.64 ± 0.45 mg/ml respectively; r = 0.58, p < 0.05) In contrast, we found no reaction to adenosine 5'- monophosphate even with the highest concentration nebulized during both measurements. At baseline, mean ± SD PENH was 0.47 ± 0.18 and 0.58 ± 0.24 (measurements 1 and 2), whereas PENH after 500 mg/ml adenosine 5'- monophosphate was 0.46 ± 0.20 and 0.71 ± 0.37. All bronchoprovocation tests were well tolerated by the cats. We conclude that healthy airways in cats do not demonstrate airway responsiveness to inhaled adenosine 5'- monophosphate. This is in agreement with observations in humans as well as our previous findings in dogs, where adenosine 5'- monophosphate had no effect on healthy canine airways, but caused significant airflow limitation after induction of acute bronchitis. To define the value of bronchoprovocation testing with adenosine 5'- monophosphate in the feline respiratory tract, further investigation of this agonist in cats with spontaneous lower airway disease will be required.

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