BIOCHEMICAL-ALTERATIONS IN RAT LUNG LAVAGE FLUID FOLLOWING ACUTE SULFUR MUSTARD INHALATION

Although sulfur mustard (HD) is well known for its skin vesicating pro perties, most of the mortality associated with HD is due to pulmonary damage and associated infections. We have employed an in vivo HD vapor exposure model followed by bronchoalveolar lavage to provide biochemi cal evidence of HD-induced lung injury. Anesthetized rats were intratr acheally intubated and exposed to 0.35 mg HD in 0.1 ml ethanol or etha nol alone for 50 min. At 1, 4, or 24 h postexposure, rats were euthani zed, and the lungs were lavaged with saline (37 degrees C). The result ing lavage fluid was centrifuged, and the supernatant was assayed on a Cobas FARA clinical analyzer for changes in lactate dehydrogenase (in dicator of cytotoxicity), gamma-glutamyltransferase (bronchial epithel ial damage), and total protein. Results showed a significant increase in lactate dehydrogenase and gamma glutamyltransferase at each of the time points examined. Total protein levels were significantly elevated at 4 and 24 h. The identification of biochemical parameters providing the earliest indications of pulmonary injury, coupled with a descript ion df early pathologic changes, may contribute to an understanding of HD-induced lung injury and to the subsequent development of a potenti al therapeutic intervention.