title: Effectiveness of vitamin E and colchicine in amelioration of paraquat lung injuries using an experimental model.
abstract: The major cause of death in paraquat poisoning is a rapidly progressive respiratory failure due to an oxidative insult to the alveolar epithelium with subsequent fulminant obliterating fibrosis. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of vitamin E in combination with colchicine in ameliorating paraquat lung injuries in rats. Vitamin E is a biologic antioxidant interfering with lipid peroxidation, and colchicine reduces collagen synthesis which is significantly augmented in pulmonary fibrosis. Eight normal rats were given a single i.p. dose of paraquat at 15 mg/kg. The treated group included eight animals that received, in addition to i.p. paraquat (15 mg/kg), daily doses of vitamin E (100 mg/kg i.p.) and colchicine (0.1 mg/kg i.p.). All the rats in the paraquat group died within 42 to 96 h, six of them within 60 h, following severe respiratory failure. The treated rats developed a somewhat milder form of respiratory insufficiency, six of them dying within 48 to 72 h. Less severe intra-alveolar hemorrhages were observed in this group. Two rats survived, and these had only mild emphysema on autopsy at 21 days. Our preliminary results suggest that the combination of vitamin E with colchicine may be effective in ameliorating lung injuries caused by paraquat, and warrant further studies.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Chaim Sheb Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shahar
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Keidar
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hertzeg
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Barzilay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003078:Colchicine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D010269:Paraquat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E; D010269:Paraquat; D003078:Colchicine