Pulmonary haemodynamics in awake rats following treatment with endotracheal pancreatic elastase.
The purpose of this paper was to study pulmonary haemodynamics in an elastase-induced emphysema model in awake rats (Group-EL, n = 9) in comparison with saline-treated controls (Group-C, n = 12). Four weeks before haemodynamic study, porcine pancreatic elastase and normal saline were intratracheally instilled in Group-EL and Group-C, respectively. Indwelling pulmonary artery and abdominal aortic catheters were positioned two days before the haemodynamic study. Breathing room air, mean pulmonary artery pressure (Ppa) tended to be higher in Group-EL than in Group-C, although the difference was not statistically significant. Systemic pressure, total systemic vascular resistance and cardiac index did not differ between groups. When exposed to 10% O2, Ppa and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) of both groups rose significantly. The increase of Ppa, (but not PVR) in Group-EL during hypoxia was significantly higher than that in Group-C. The magnitude of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) tended to be larger in Group-EL than in Group-C. Right ventricles of Group-EL were more hypertrophic than those of Group-C, suggesting a period of higher pulmonary artery pressure than for Group-C. The present results imply that the pressor response of pulmonary vasculature to acute alveolar hypoxia is possibly enhanced in awake rats upon examination four weeks after elastase treatment.
Sato
S
S
First Department of Internal Medicine, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Japan.
Kato
S
S
Arisaka
Y
Y
Takahashi
H
H
Tomoike
H
H
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002302:Cardiac Output; D006439:Hemodynamics; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014655:Vascular Resistance
D010196:Pancreatic Elastase