title: Lung function, permeability, and surfactant composition in oleic acid-induced acute lung injury in rats.
abstract: Although acute lung injury (ALI) is associated with inflammation and surfactant dysfunction, the precise sequence of these changes remains poorly described. We used oleic acid to study the pathogenesis of ALI in spontaneously breathing anesthetized rats. We found that lung pathology can occur far more rapidly than previously appreciated. Lung neutrophils were increased approximately threefold within 5 min, and surfactant composition was dramatically altered within 15 min. Alveolar cholesterol increased by approximately 200%, and even though disaturated phospholipids increased by approximately 30% over 4 h, the disaturated phospholipid-to-total phospholipid ratio fell. Although the alveolocapillary barrier was profoundly disrupted after just 15 min, with marked elevations in lung fluid ((99m)Tc-labeled diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid) and (125)I-labeled albumin flux, the lung rapidly began to regain its sieving properties. Despite the restoration in lung permeability, the animals remained hypoxic even though minute ventilation was increased approximately twofold and static compliance progressively deteriorated. This study highlights that ALI can set in motion a sequence of events continuing the respiratory failure irrespective of the alveolar surfactant pool size and the status of the alveolocapillary barrier.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Physiology, School of Medicine, Flinders University of South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Bersten
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Dowling
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Nicholas
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Doyle
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D000818:Animals; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D001825:Body Fluid Compartments / Q000502:physiology; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D002199:Capillary Permeability / Q000502:physiology; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008170:Lung Compliance / Q000502:physiology*; D008244:Lysophosphatidylcholines / Q000378:metabolism; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D019301:Oleic Acid; D009929:Organ Size; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008244:Lysophosphatidylcholines; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D019301:Oleic Acid