Effect of time and vascular pressure on permeability and cyclic nucleotides in ischemic lungs

Abstract

We previously found that increased intravascular pressure decreased ischemic lung injury by a nitric oxide (NO)-dependent mechanism (Becker PM, Buchanan W, and Sylvester JT. J Appl Physiol 84: 803–808, 1998). To determine the role of cyclic nucleotides in this response, we measured the reflection coefficient for albumin (ςalb), fluid flux ( J˙), cGMP, and cAMP in ferret lungs subjected to either 45 min (“short”; n = 7) or 180 min (“long”) of ventilated ischemia. Long ischemic lungs had “low” (1–2 mmHg, n = 8) or “high” (7–8 mmHg, n = 6) vascular pressure. Other long low lungs were treated with the NO donor ( Z)-1-[ N-(3-ammoniopropyl)- N-( n-propyl)amino]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (PAPA-NONOate; 5 × 10−4 M, n = 6) or 8-bromo-cGMP (5 × 10−4 M, n = 6). Compared with short ischemia, long low ischemia decreased ςalb (0.23 ± 0.04 vs. 0.73 ± 0.08; P < 0.05) and increased J˙ (1.93 ± 0.26 vs. 0.58 ± 0.22 ml · min−1 · 100 g−1; P < 0.05). High pressure prevented these changes. Lung cGMP decreased by 66% in long compared with short ischemia. Lung cAMP did not change. PAPA-NONOate and 8-bromo-cGMP increased lung cGMP, but only 8-bromo-cGMP decreased permeability. These results suggest that ischemic vascular injury was, in part, mediated by a decrease in cGMP. Increased vascular pressure prevented injury by a cGMP-independent mechanism that could not be mimicked by administration of exogenous NO.