title: Eugenol causes oxidant-mediated edema in isolated perfused rabbit lungs.
abstract: Eugenol, an extract of cloves, has been associated with pulmonary edema when inhaled from commercially available clove cigarettes. We tested the hypothesis that eugenol directly causes lung edema through oxidant-mediated mechanisms by infusing eugenol (0.1 and 1.0 mM) into isolated rabbit lungs perfused with a cell-free albumin and physiologic salt solution. We observed lung edema (1.0 mM) as demonstrated by increased lung weight gain and wet-to-dry lung weight ratios without alterations in mean pulmonary artery pressure. The oxygen metabolite scavengers catalase (1,000 U/ml) and dimethylthiourea (30 mM) attenuated lung edema. Instillation of dimethylurea, superoxide dismutase, or heat-inactivated catalase did not prevent lung edema formation. We conclude that eugenol causes lung edema in isolated lungs through oxidant-mediated mechanisms in the absence of circulating formed blood elements. Eugenol may be a valuable compound in the laboratory investigation of edemogenic disorders.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Heffner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002374:Catalase / Q000494:pharmacology; D005054:Eugenol / Q000633:toxicity*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008782:Methylurea Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010100:Oxygen / Q000502:physiology*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011817:Rabbits; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000494:pharmacology; D013890:Thiourea / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D008782:Methylurea Compounds; D005054:Eugenol; C038983:1,3-dimethylthiourea; D002374:Catalase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D013890:Thiourea; C018275:1,1-dimethylurea; D010100:Oxygen