[The significance of circulating endothelial cell in hypoxic injury of pulmonary vascular endothelial cell].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the changes of vascular endothelial cell (VEC) in hypoxic rats and to check the damage of VEC in vivo, an experiment for observing circulating endothelial cells was conducted.


METHODS
Thirty male Wistar rats were classified into 5 groups in random, exposted to 10% O2 and 1% FeCl3 intraveniously. After 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks, PaO2, circulating endothelial cells (CEC) were measured and the lung specimens, the pulmonary artery were examined by transmission electron micrography (TEM) and scanning electron micrography (SEM).


RESULTS
Lung specimens and pulmonary artery under TEM and SEM: swollen appeared to VEC after 1 week. As time prolonged, VEC appeared splitting, broken and peeled off. The amount of CEC increased as the time proceeding, the longer the time, the higher the number of the CEC. Obvious hypoxemia developed in the tested animals as the time prolonged.


CONCLUSIONS
All above results indicated: the time of anoxia proceeding, the structure of lung and pulmonary artery VEC were damaged obviously. The increase of CEC matched with the changes of ultrastructure of lung VEC. CEC specifically reflected the damage of VEC. Non-invasive measurement of CEC is valuble in evaluation of hypoxic injury of pulmonary VEC.
Chen
X
X
Department of Respiratory Diseases, Guangzhou General Hospital, PLA.
Zou
X
X
Xin
D
D
D000818:Animals; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000473:pathology*; D008168:Lung / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar