Respiration physiology
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Respiration physiology · Jun 2001
Comparative StudyRegulation of secretion from mucous and serous cells in the excised ferret trachea.
Mucus hypersecretion is an important characteristic of many airway diseases. Mucin is the major component of mucus, and is secreted from surface goblet cells of the airway epithelium and mucous cells of submucosal glands. Lysozyme is an enzyme secreted by serous cells of airway submucosal glands. ⋯ We showed that there is an anatomic gradient for constitutive and stimulated mucin and lysozyme secretion with the distal tracheal segments secreting more mucin and lysozyme per gram of tissue than the proximal segments. This robust model system can be used to evaluate the regulation of airway mucous and serous cell secretion and to assess the effect of agents that might alter the secretory response. We confirm that on an equimolar basis, HNE is one of the most potent mucus secretagogues.