The effect of intravenously administered acetylcholine on the glycoconjugate composition in goblet cells of the tracheal epithelium in rabbits
Abstract
To evaluate the influence of cholinergic stimulation on the composition of glycoconjugates in goblet cells, we studied the tracheal epithelium of rabbits 5 minutes and 20 minutes after i.v. administration of acetylcholine in doses 0.1 mg and 0.5 mg, respectively. Using both conventional and lectin histochemistry, we compared the percentage of tracheal goblet cells containing neutral glycoconjugates to those containing total acidic glycoconjugates, sulphated acidic glycoconjugates, and sialylated acidic glycoconjugates.
A conspicuous increase in percentage of neutral glycoconjugates-containing goblet cells and a decrease of sialylated glycoconjugates-containing goblet cells occurred as early as 5 minutes after the administration of the lower dose and were recorded 20 minutes post exposure, too. Five minutes post exposure, the higher dose evoked a decrease in percentage of both neutral- and sialylated glycoconjugates-containing goblet cells.
Twenty minutes after the administration of the higher dose, percentage of all studied elements reached values similar to those found in the lower dose group. The cholinergic stimulation did not cause total disappearance of both neutral- and sialylated glycoconjugates-containing goblet cells.
Only the reaction of goblet cells 5 minutes after the administration of the higher acetylcholine dose differed quantitatively from the reactions in remaining experimental groups.