The objective of the present experiments was to study the effects of pulmonary inflammation induced by subacute Sulfur-dioxide (SO(2)) exposure on capsaicin-induced responses in isolated primary vagal sensory neurons and cough. Additionally, we examined the effects of SO(2) exposure on respiratory function and lung histology. All experiments were conducted 24 h after 4 days of subacute SO(2) (1000 ppm, 3 h/day for 4 days) exposure. In in vitro experiments, intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations were measured in single nodose ganglia cells isolated from SO(2) treated and control guinea pigs, using a fluorescence-based methodology. In nodose ganglia cells from SO(2)-exposed animals, intracellular Ca(2+) responses evoked by capsaicin (1 x 10(-7) and 1 x 10(-6) M) were significantly augmented (87% and 59%, respectively) compared to nodose ganglia from control animals. In vivo experiments, cough responses induced by a submaximal dose of aerosolized capsaicin (30 microM) were increased approximately 50% in SO(2) exposed animals compared to control animals. The enhanced cough response produced by SO(2) was inhibited by the corticosteroid, dexamethasone (10 mg/kg, p.o. b.i.d for 4 days and 10 mg/kg, p.o. once on day 5). In separate experiments, guinea pigs exposed to SO(2) displayed a decrease in respiratory frequency and minute ventilation and an increase in enhanced pause (PenH), a surrogate measure for pulmonary obstruction. Associated with the SO(2)-induced increase in cough and changes in respiratory parameters was an increase in BAL neutrophils. BAL neutrophil counts were 5+/-4 and 691+/-141 cells x 10(3)/ml for air and SO(2)-exposed animals, respectively. The neutrophillic inflammation induced by SO(2) was attenuated by dexamethasone treatment. Finally, staining for collagen, smooth muscle and goblet cells showed inflammation, remodeling and goblet cell metaphasia in the SO(2)-exposed animals. Our results demonstrate that SO(2) exposure enhances TRPV1 receptor function at the level of the nodose ganglia. This effect occurs in parallel with an increase sensitivity of the cough response to capsaicin.