Studies on the effects of kerosine aerosol on airways of rabbits.

The effects of kerosine aerosol inhalation at a mean concentration of 32.5 mg/L on spontaneously breathing rabbits as well as on artificially ventilated rabbits were studied. Kerosine aerosol inhalation by spontaneously breathing rabbits during 4 minutes elicited an increase in total pulmonary resistance (RT) by 38 +/- 15 percent of control value (p less than 0.05). After atropine injection (0.2 mg/kg. I.V.) there was an immediate decrease in RT which was not significantly different from the control value after either, 1 or 5 minutes administration. Kerosine aerosol inhalation during 9 minutes elicited an increase in tracheal resistance by 45.5 +/- 8.2 percent of control value in artificially ventilated normal rabbits, while in vagotomized ones the increase was only by 21.2 +/- 6.9 percent of control value (p less than 0.05). It is concluded that inhalation of kerosine by spontaneously breathing or artificially ventilated rabbits elicit an acute increase in airways resistance which is mainly reflex and mediated by parasympathetic pathways.