Changes of rabbit pulmonary elastic properties and bronchomotrlclty in experimentally induced chronic Chagas' disease

Abstract

In order to study the role of bronchial denervation in Chagas' disease, the mechanical properties and the hronchomotricity o£ 6 chronic chagasic and 4 control rabbits were investigated. The whole-body plethysmograph method was used and the measurements were performed before and after intravenous administration of histamine chlorhydrate (0.11 mg/kg body weight). A smaller increase of the functional residual capacity, an almost unchanged peak passive expiratory flow after the histamine administration and a shift to the right of the static transpulmonary pressure/volume curve observed in the chagasic animals indicate an alteration of the bronchial tree, mainly consisting of a decreased bronehoreactivity.