Effect of acetylcholine on Cl- and Na+ fluxes across dog tracheal epithelium in vitro.

Electrical potential difference is generated across canine tracheal epithelium by active transport of Cl- toward and Na+ away from the lumen. The present study examines the effects of acetylcholine on short-circuit current, potential difference, resistance, and fluxes of 36Cl and 24Na measured across pieces of canine tracheal epithelium mounted in Ussing-type chambers. Under short-circuit conditions, acetylcholine (5 X 10(-5) M) increased significantly net ion flux toward the lumen of Cl- (n equals 7) from +1.7 +/- SE 0.5 TO +3.3 +/- SE 0.5 mueq/cm2 - h, and of Na+ (n equals 7) from -0.8 +/- SE 0.2 to +0.5 +/- SE 0.2 mueq/cm2 - h. Under open-circuit conditions, acetylcholine (5 X 10(-5) M) increased significantly the unidirectional flux of Cl- (n equals 6) toward the lumen from 4.7 +/- SE 1.3 to 5.9 +/- SE 1.4 mueq/cm2 - h, while the other measured fluxes did not change significantly, suggesting that net Cl- flux had increased toward the lumen. Atropine sulfate (10(-8) M) prevented the response to acetylcholine (5 X 10(-5) M). The increased ion flux due to acetylcholine may mediate water secretion into the airway lumen, and this secretion may have important effects on the physical properties of the liquid through which the respiratory cilia beat.