Hyperthermia-induced pulmonary edema

Abstract

The effects of temperature (37–45 degrees C) on pulmonary edema formation and transendothelial albumin clearance were investigated using isolated perfused guinea pig lungs and bovine pulmonary arterial endothelial cells grown to confluency on a gelatinized membrane. Perfusion of isolated lungs with Ringer-albumin solution at 37 or 41 degrees C for 90 min produced no change in lung wet-to-dry weight ratios (W/D) or in pulmonary capillary pressure (measured by the double-occlusion method). When perfused at 43 degrees C, lung wet weight increased 0.8 +/- 0.4 g over base line (final W/D = 7.43 +/- 0.7) within 90 min. Perfusion at 45 degrees C increased lung weight by 2.7 +/- 0.9 g over base line (final W/D 11.8 +/- 2.3 vs. control value of 5.2 +/- 0.23 at 37 degrees C perfusion) within 60 min. The changes in pulmonary capillary pressure were small (from a base-line value of 4.3 +/- 0.8 to 4.9 +/- 0.4 at 43 degrees C and from a base-line value of 4.9 +/- 0.8 to 5.9 +/- 0.6 at 45 degrees C). The clearance of 125I-albumin (microliter/min) across the endothelial monolayer system increased threefold (from 0.295 +/- 0.035 to 1.048 +/- 0.107) at 45 degrees C, an effect comparable to positive controls of trypsin (from 0.272 +/- 0.046 to 1.595 +/- 0.138) or oleic acid (from 0.278 +/- 0.043 to 0.672 +/- 0.26). An increase in temperature from 37 to 45 degrees C had no effect on the permeability of the gelatinized membrane alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)