We evaluated the role of vagal reflexes in a mouse model of allergen-induced airway
hyperreactivity. Mice were actively sensitized to ovalbumin then exposed to the allergen via
inhalation. Prior to ovalbumin inhalation, mice also received intratracheally-instilled
particulate matter in order to boost the allergic response. In control mice, methacholine (iv)
caused a dose-dependent increase in respiratory tract resistance (RT) that only modestly
decreased if the vagi were severed bilaterally just prior to the methacholine challenge …