L-Arginine prevents air embolism-induced acute lung injury in rats.
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.
Chu
Shi-Jye
SJ
Department of Emergency Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Lee
Tsai-Yu
TY
Yan
Horng-Chin
HC
Lin
Shih-Hua
SH
Li
Min-Hui
MH
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
D011506:Proteins; D001120:Arginine; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester