Lung edema formation in this model was the result of marked increases in both pulmonary microvascular permeability and pressure. Pulmonary vascular hyperpermeability peaked 12 hrs postinjury and was related to vascular endothelial growth factor overexpression. Early myocardial failure was a potential contributor to the constant increase in pulmonary capillary pressure. The sepsis-induced increase in peripheral microvascular permeability was associated with significant accumulation of fluid and protein in the third space.

IntroductionDifferent isoforms of nitric oxide synthases (NOS) and determinants of oxidative/nitrosative stress play important roles in the pathophysiology of pulmonary dysfunction induced by acute lung injury (ALI) and sepsis. However, the time changes of these pathogenic factors are largely undetermined.MethodsTwenty-four chronically instrumented sheep were subjected to inhalation of 48 breaths of cotton smoke and instillation of live Pseudomonas aeruginosa into both lungs and were euthanized at 4, 8, 12, 18, and 24 hours post-injury. Additional sheep received sham injury and were euthanized after 24 hrs (control). All animals were mechanically ventilated and fluid resuscitated. Lung tissue was obtained at the respective time points for the measurement of neuronal, endothelial, and inducible NOS (nNOS, eNOS, iNOS) mRNA and their protein expression, calcium-dependent and -independent NOS activity, 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), and poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) protein expression.ResultsThe injury induced severe pulmonary dysfunction as indicated by a progressive decline in oxygenation index and concomitant increase in pulmonary shunt fraction. These changes were associated with an early and transient increase in eNOS and an early and profound increase in iNOS expression, while expression of nNOS remained unchanged. Both 3-NT, a marker of protein nitration, and PAR, an indicator of DNA damage, increased early but only transiently.ConclusionsIdentification of the time course of the described pathogenetic factors provides important additional information on the pulmonary response to ALI and sepsis in the ovine model. This information may be crucial for future studies, especially when considering the timing of novel treatment strategies including selective inhibition of NOS isoforms, modulation of peroxynitrite, and PARP.

Objective To test the hypothesis that restoration of antithrombin plasma concentrations attenuates vascular leakage by inhibiting neutrophil activation through syndecan-4 receptor inhibition in an established ovine model of acute lung injury. Design Randomized controlled laboratory experiment. Setting University animal research facility. Subjects Eighteen chronically instrumented sheep. Interventions Following combined burn and smoke inhalation injury (40% of total body surface area, third-degree flame burn; 4 × 12 breaths of cold cotton smoke), chronically instrumented sheep were randomly assigned to receive an IV infusion of 6 IU/kg/hr recombinant human antithrombin III or normal saline (n = 6 each) during the 48-hour study period. In addition, six sham animals (not injured, continuous infusion of vehicle) were used to obtain reference values for histological and immunohistochemical analyses. Measurements and Main Results Compared to control animals, recombinant human antithrombin III reduced the number of neutrophils per hour in the pulmonary lymph (p < 0.01 at 24 and 48 hr), alveolar neutrophil infiltration (p = 0.04), and pulmonary myeloperoxidase activity (p = 0.026). Flow cytometric analysis revealed a significant reduction of syndecan-4-positive neutrophils (p = 0.002 vs control at 24 hr). Treatment with recombinant human antithrombin III resulted in a reduction of pulmonary nitrosative stress (p = 0.002), airway obstruction (bronchi: p = 0.001, bronchioli: p = 0.013), parenchymal edema (p = 0.044), and lung bloodless wet-to-dry-weight ratio (p = 0.015). Clinically, recombinant human antithrombin III attenuated the increased pulmonary transvascular fluid flux (12–48 hr: p ≤ 0.001 vs control each) and the deteriorated pulmonary gas exchange (12–48 hr: p < 0.05 vs control each) without increasing the risk of bleeding. Conclusions The present study provides evidence for the interaction between antithrombin and neutrophils in vivo, its pathophysiological role in vascular leakage, and the therapeutic potential of recombinant human antithrombin III in a large animal model of acute lung injury.

Background and purpose:The present study investigated whether the pathophysiological changes induced by burn and smoke inhalation are modulated by parenteral administration of Na2S, a H2S donor. Experimental approach: The study used a total of 16 chronically instrumented, adult female sheep. Na2S was administered 1 h post injury, as a bolus injection at a dose of 0.5 mg·kg -1 and subsequently, as a continuous infusion at a rate of 0.2 mg·kg -1 ·h -1 for 24 h. Cardiopulmonary variables (mean arterial and pulmonary arterial blood pressure, cardiac output, ventricular stroke work index, vascular resistance) and arterial and mixed venous blood gases were measured. Lung wet-to-dry ratio and myeloperoxidase content and protein oxidation and nitration were also measured. In addition, lung inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and cytochrome c were measured in lung homogenates via Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively. Key results: The H2S donor decreased mortality during the 96 h experimental period, improved pulmonary gas exchange and lowered further increase in inspiratory pressure and fluid accumulation associated with burn-and smoke-induced acute lung injury. Further, the H2S donor treatment reduced the presence of protein oxidation and 3-nitrotyrosine formation following burn and smoke inhalation injury. Conclusions and implications: Parenteral administration of the H2S donor ameliorated the pulmonary pathophysiological changes associated with burn-and smoke-induced acute lung injury. Based on the effect of H2S observed in this clinically relevant model of disease, we propose that treatment with H2S or its donors may represent a potential therapeutic strategy in managing patients with acute lung injury.

Vasopressin analogs are used as a supplement to norepinephrine in septic shock. The isolated effects of vasopressin agonists on sepsis-induced vascular dysfunction, however, remain controversial. Because V(2)-receptor stimulation induces vasodilation and procoagulant effects, a higher V(1a)- versus V(2)-receptor selectivity might be advantageous. We therefore hypothesized that a sole, titrated infusion of the selective V(1a)-agonist Phe(2)-Orn(8)-Vasotocin (POV) is more effective than the mixed V(1a)-/V(2)-agonist AVP for the treatment of vascular and cardiopulmonary dysfunction in methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus pneumonia-induced, ovine sepsis. After the onset of hemodynamic instability, awake, chronically instrumented, mechanically ventilated, and fluid resuscitated sheep were randomly assigned to receive continuous infusions of either POV, AVP, or saline solution (control; each n = 6). AVP and POV were titrated to maintain mean arterial pressure above baseline - 10 mmHg. When compared with that of control animals, AVP and POV reduced neutrophil migration (myeloperoxidase activity, alveolar neutrophils) and plasma levels of nitric oxide, resulting in higher mean arterial pressures and a reduced vascular leakage (net fluid balance, chest and abdominal fluid, pulmonary bloodless wet-to-dry-weight ratio, alveolar and septal edema). Notably, POV stabilized hemodynamics at lower doses than AVP. In addition, POV, but not AVP, reduced myocardial and pulmonary tissue concentrations of 3-nitrotyrosine, VEGF, and angiopoietin-2, thereby leading to an abolishment of cumulative fluid accumulation (POV, 9 ± 15 ml/kg vs. AVP, 110 ± 13 ml/kg vs. control, 213 ± 16 ml/kg; P < 0.001 each) and an attenuated cardiopulmonary dysfunction (left ventricular stroke work index, PaO(2)-to-FiO(2) ratio) versus control animals. Highly selective V(1a)-agonism appears to be superior to unselective vasopressin analogs for the treatment of sepsis-induced vascular dysfunction.

Objective Acute lung injury (ALI) with subsequent pneumonia and sepsis represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality in thermally injured patients. Production of nitric oxide (NO) by the neuronal and inducible NO synthase (nNOS, iNOS) may be critically involved in the pathophysiology of the disease process at different time points and thus specific inhibition at different times may represent an effective treatment regimen. Design Prospective, controlled, randomized trial. Setting University research laboratory. Subjects Eighteen chronically instrumented, adult, female sheep. Interventions Following baseline measurements, the animals were allocated to either sham-injured, non-treated controls (sham), injured, non-treated controls (control), or injured animals treated with continuous infusion of 7-nitroindazole, a specific nNOS inhibitor, during the first 12 hrs post-injury and infusion of BBS-2, a specific iNOS inhibitor, during the next 12 hrs. Injury was induced by 48 breaths of cotton smoke and subsequent instillation of Ps. aeruginosa into the lungs. All sheep were mechanically ventilated and fluid resuscitated for the entire duration of the 24-hour experiment. Measurements and Main Results The injury induced severe pulmonary dysfunction which was associated with increases in lung edema formation, airway obstruction, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), and poly(ADP ribose) (PAR) expression in lung tissue. The treatment reduced the degree of airway obstruction and improved pulmonary gas exchange, whereas the development of lung edema was not affected. The increases in lung tissue VEGF, 3-NT, and PAR expression were attenuated by the treatment. Conclusions The combination of early nNOS and delayed iNOS inhibition shows potential benefit in ovine ALI by reducing nitrosative stress in the lung and limiting the degree of airway obstruction.

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