EFFECTS OF ANTIINFLAMMATORY AGENTS ON HYDROCHLORIC ACID-INDUCED PULMONARY INJURY

To determine the effects of anti-inflammatory agents on hydrochloric a cid lung injury, the heart and lungs were harvested from rats, placed in a lung chamber, constant flow perfused with whole blood, and ventil ated. The following experiments were conducted: observation alone; int ratracheal injection of normal saline; intratracheal hydrochloric acid ; and intravenous meclofenamate or indomethacin before intratracheal h ydrochloric acid Wet-to-dry lung weights were measured. Peak airway pr essures increased immediately (p < .001 vs. baseline; ANOVA) in all in tratracheal groups, hydrochloric acid producing even greater (p < .05) increases than saline-effects unaltered by meclofenamate or indometha cin The increased (p < .001 vs. baseline) 2-h pulmonary artery pressur es in hydrochloric acid-treated groups were unaltered by meclofenamate or indomethacin. All hydrochloric acid-treated groups demonstrated in creases (p < .05) in weight that were unchanged by meclofenamate or in domethacin. These data suggest that the beneficial effects of these me dications described elsewhere, using a variety of in vivo lung injury experimental models, may be attributed to their experimental design, o r to contributions from organs/systems outside the pulmonary circuit.