Jm. Lasnier et al., TERBUTALINE STIMULATES ALVEOLAR FLUID RESORPTION IN HYPEROXIC LUNG INJURY, Journal of applied physiology, 81(4), 1996, pp. 1723-1729
Alveolar fluid resorption occurs by active epithelial sodium transport
and is accelerated by terbutaline in healthy lungs. We investigated t
he effect of terbutaline on the rate of alveolar fluid resorption from
rat lungs injured by hyperoxia. Rats exposed to >95% O-2 for 60 h, su
fficient to increase wet-to-dry lung weight and cause alveolar edema,
were compared with air-breathing control rats. After anesthesia, the a
nimals breathed 100% O-2 for 10 min through a tracheostomy. Ringer sol
ution was instilled into the alveoli, and the steady-state rate of vol
ume resorbed at 6 cmH(2)O pressure was measured via a pipette attached
to the tracheostomy tubing. Ringer solution in some animals contained
terbutaline (10(-3) M), ouabain (10(-3) M), or both. Normoxic animals
resorbed 49 +/- 6 mu l . kg(-1). min(-1); ouabain reduced this by 39%
, whereas terbutaline increased the rate by 75%. The effect of terbuta
line was blocked by ouabain. Hyperoxic animals absorbed 78 +/- 9 mu l
. kg(-1). min(-1); ouabain reduced this by 44%. Terbutaline increased
the rate by a mean of 39 mu l . kg(-1). min(-1), similar to the absolu
te effect seen in the normoxic group, and this was blocked by ouabain.
Terbutaline accelerates fluid resorption from both normal and injured
rat lungs via its effects on active sodium transport.