HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by MITCHELL, M. D. Articles by ROBINSON, J. S. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by MITCHELL, M. D. Articles by ROBINSON, J. S.

Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, OX3 9DU

(Received 21 July 1978)

Prostaglandins of the E and F series have been shown to relax or contract respectively guinea-pig trachea and recently it has been demonstrated that the prostaglandin endoperoxides PGG₂ and PGH₂ (immediate precursors of prostaglandins E and F) have far greater potency in contracting tracheal smooth muscle than prostaglandin F (Hamberg, Svensson, Hedqvist, Strandberg & Samuelsson, 1976). Furthermore, both thromboxane A₂ and prostacyclin can also elicit contraction of the trachea with thromboxane A₂ being considerably more active (Omini, Moncada & Vane, 1977; Svensson, Strandberg, Tuvemo & Hamberg, 1977). Administration of thromboxane A₂ has been shown to raise the tracheal insufflation pressure in guinea-pigs (Svensson et al. 1977) and indeed its stable metabolite thromboxane B₂ is released in relatively large amounts from sensitized guinea-pig lungs when challenged with antigen (Dawson, Boot, Cockerill,