Summary
An in vitro method is presented to study the ciliary activity in the intrapulmonary airways preserved in their natural anatomical continuity. By removing the pleura and the overlying lung tissue the bronchial tree from the level of terminal bronchioles to that of lobe bronchus is exposed. In this preparation the ciliary movement can be observed through the bronchial wall from the side of basement membrane by means of incident light microscopy. We found that the ciliary beat was irregular and the pluricellular metachronism was confined to bands which were several cells wide and of various length (apprx. 300 μ–2 mm). The direction of ciliary beat was approximately parallel to the axis of the bronchus except at the branchings where it became increasingly oblique (cf. Fig. 5, text). The frequency of the ciliary beat increased continuously from peripheral airways to the main bronchus and there, from distal to proximal. In the terminal bronchioles no beat was seen in the last apprx. 50 μ. After exposure of cilia to fluids with various viscosity, the rate of beat always increased. Considering the decrease of the whole area of mucosa from the level of terminal bronchioles to trachea, these findings may suggest that the rate of ciliary beat is determined by the volume of mucus to be eliminated. The frequency of the ciliary beat increased with increasing temperature. The Q 10 varies with the temperature range; it is about 4 between 15° and 25°C and about 3 between 25° and 35°C.
Zusammenfassung
Eine Methode zur direkten Untersuchung der Flimmeraktivität in den intrapulmonalen Luftwegen wurde entwickelt. Durch Entfernung des daraufliegenden Lungengewebes wird der Luftweg in seiner Gesamtheit (von dem Bronchiolus terminalis bis zum Stammbronchus) freipräpariert. Durch die intakte Wand kann die Flimmerbewegung auflichtmikroskopisch beobachtet werden. Der Rhythmus der Flimmerbewegung ist unregelmäßig (Arrhythmie), und der pluricelluläre Metachronismus ist auf schmale Streifen begrenzt (begrenzte pluricelluläre Koordination). Die Richtung des Flimmerschlages ist in den gerade verlaufenden Luftwegen fast longitudinal, an den Verzweigungsstellen wird sie zunehmend schräger. Die Frequenz der Flimmerbewegung nimmt von der Peripherie zum Stammbronchus hin, und dort von distal nach proximal zu. In den distalen Abschnitten der terminalen Bronchiolen wurde keine Flimmerbewegung beobachtet. Die Flimmerfrequenz nimmt mit der Temperatur zu. Der Q 10-Wert ist von dem Temperaturbereich abhängig und beträgt zwischen 15° und 25°C etwa 4 und zwischen 25° und 35°C etwa 3.
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Mit Unterstützung des Vereins zur Untersuchung von Einwirkungen der Luftverschmutzung auf die Volksgesundheit e. V., Bochum.
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Iravani, J. Flimmerbewegung in den intrapulmonalen Luftwegen der Ratte. Pflügers Archiv 297, 221–237 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00363815
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00363815