title: L-Arginine prevents air embolism-induced acute lung injury in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pulmonary air embolism, causing vessel obstruction and primary or secondary reactions of blood, can lead to acute lung injury. In addition, nitric oxide has been known to play a key role in various causes of lung injury. In this study we employed the isolated rat lung model to investigate the effects of l-arginine on air embolism-induced lung injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized, controlled study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Animal-care facility procedure room.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two adult male Sprague-Dawley rats each weighing 250-350 g.
  
  
  METHODS
  Infusion of air at the rate of 0.25 mL/min for 1 min into the pulmonary artery in isolated and perfused rat lung resulted in pulmonary hypertension and lung edema. Air embolism elicited a significant increase in microvascular permeability as measured by the capillary filtration coefficient, lung weight gain, lung weight-to-body weight ratio, pulmonary arterial pressure, and protein concentration of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pretreatment with L-arginine (4 mmol/L) significantly attenuated the acute lung injury induced by air embolism as shown by a significant decrease in all of the assessed variables but did not alter the pulmonary arterial pressure (p < .05). The protective effect of l-arginine was blocked when N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (5 mmol/L) was added. Pretreatment with N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester exacerbated air embolism-induced lung injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that L-arginine can prevent air embolism-induced lung injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shi-Jye
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Tsai-Yu
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Horng-Chin
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Shih-Hua
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Min-Hui
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018893:Bronchoalveolar Lavage; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004618:Embolism, Air / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D009929:Organ Size; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000150:complications; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D001120:Arginine; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester