Figure 1

Responses of ASM cells isolated from asthmatic and non-asthmatic subjects to bradykinin addition. (A) Representative graph showing a [Ca²⁺]_i response to bradykinin (1 μM). Measurements taken from these Ca²⁺ responses were mean change in F_{340 nm}/F_{380 nm} ratio (∆R), baseline Ca²⁺ concentration (expressed as F_{340 nm}/F_{380 nm} ratio), area under the curve (AUC), and the rate of decline from the peak Ca²⁺ response. The baseline [Ca²⁺]_i(B), peak increase in [Ca²⁺]_i following bradykinin stimulation (C), AUC during the agonist addition (D), and rate of decline in [Ca²⁺]_i from the peak bradykinin-stimulated response (E) were measured for each ASM cell donor across a range of cells (6–40 cells per donor) and the average value for each variable plotted for non-asthmatic and asthmatic donors. Symbol key: filled circles: GINA 1–3; open circles: GINA 4–5; filled squares: non-asthmatic donors. Parametric data (B, C) displayed as mean (SEM) and analysed by Student’s t-test. Non-parametric data (D, E) displayed as median (IQR) and analyzed using Mann–Whitney.