Antiproliferative effect of prostaglandin E2 in cultured guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle cells.

The respiratory epithelium plays an important role in modulating airway smooth muscle responsiveness to contractile agonists, and damage of the epithelium may be involved in the pathogenesis of bronchial hyperresponsiveness. This study was undertaken to determine whether prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a relaxant agent synthesized and released by airway epithelial cells, could exert long-term effects on airway smooth muscle by regulating cell proliferation. Incubation of growth-arrested tracheal smooth muscle cells with serum for 24 h stimulated DNA synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner, as determined by [3H]thymidine incorporation. PGE2 and forskolin, a direct activator of adenylate cyclase, inhibited serum-induced cell proliferation, and the effects were dose dependent. PGE2 and forskolin also stimulated adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate accumulation. An inhibitor of cyclooxygenase, indomethacin, enhanced DNA synthesis induced by serum. These results indicate that exogenous PGE2 exerts an antiproliferative effect on smooth muscle cells in culture by activation of adenylate cyclase and suggest a role for the epithelium in modulating airway smooth muscle growth.