Contractile effects and receptor distributions for endothelin-1 (ET-1) in human and animal airways.

ET-1 caused concentration-dependent, sustained contraction of all airway preparations tested and was most potent in mouse trachea, with rat trachea, human bronchus and guinea-pig trachea approximately 5, 10 and 70 fold less sensitive respectively. Human non-asthmatic and asthmatic bronchi were approximately equi-sensitive to ET-1. Quantitative light microscopic autoradiography demonstrated high levels of specific [125I]-ET-1 binding sites in airway smooth muscle of rat trachea greater than human asthmatic bronchus = human non-asthmatic bronchus greater than mouse trachea much greater than guinea-pig trachea. High levels of specific ET-1 binding were also revealed in peripheral airways and in alveolar wall tissue in human, rat and mouse lung. In a limited sample of asthmatic airway smooth muscle ET-1 receptor function and density was not elevated.