Quantitative morphology of permeability lung edema in dogs induced by alpha-naphthylthiourea

In pulmonary edema, fluid accumulates first in the interstitium, then in the alveoli. However, the relative amounts of interstitial fluid around arteries and veins of different sizes are unknown; in addition, the effects of fixation on the light microscopic quantitation of edema are unclear. To answer these questions, we induced permeability pulmonary edema in seven anesthetized dogs with 27 mg/kg of alpha-naphthylthiourea. Pulmonary artery and wedge pressures were measured. After moderately severe edema, diagnosed by chest x-ray and falling arterial pO2, lobes were fixed by airways instillation or vascular perfusion with glutaraldehyde and formaldehyde or were frozen with liquid nitrogen. With light microscopy, the edema surrounding arteries and veins of different sizes was measured using a computer equipped with a digitizing tablet and expressed as the edema ratio = area of perivascular edema/area of vessel, or as an absolute area of edema. Alveolar edema was graded semiquantitatively, and wet weight to dry weight ratios were calculated. Two control dogs were also studied. During the induction of edema, pulmonary artery and wedge pressures did not change significantly. Mean wet weight to dry weight ratios were 9.3 +/- 1.1. We found that the edema ratio was greater (p less than 0.01) for arteries (2.75, n = 1305) than for veins (1.40, n = 900). The edema ratio was greater for vessels more than 400 micron than less than 400 micron (p less than 0.01) and greater in the instillation- and perfusion-fixed lobes than in the frozen lobes (p less than 0.01). Similar results were obtained for the absolute areas of periarterial and perivenous edema. Less alveolar edema was seen in the lobes fixed by instillation (p less than 0.01). We conclude that, in permeability edema induced by alpha-naphthylthiourea, the fluid accumulates preferentially around arteries compared with veins and around larger compared with smaller vessels. Airways instillation and vascular perfusion fixation appeared to increase interstitial fluid cuffs compared to freezing.     

Effect of various artificial ventilation programs on the course of experimental toxic edema of the lungs

Research Institute of General Pathology and Pathological Physiology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, B. B. Moroz.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 108, No. 11, pp. 542–545, November 1989.     

The effect of some phenothiazine dervatives on the development of experimental toxic edema of the lungs

Summary Preparations of the phenothiazine group, aminazine, mepazine, a chlorinated derivative of mepazine, and promethazine inhibit the development of experimental toxic edema of the lungs, producted by adrenalin and by NH₄Cl. Aminazine is the most effective preparation, promethazine the least effective.Presented by Active Member of the USSR AMS V. V. Zakusov     

Solute permeability of the alveolar epithelium in acute hemodynamic pulmonary edema in dogs.

Ten anesthetized dogs, 48 h postintravenous 131I-albumin injection, had a segment of lung airspace isolated by a balloon-tipped catheter lodged in a bronchus. An isotonic saline solution containing trace amounts of Blue Dextran, 125I-albumin, and 57Co-cyanocobalamin was instilled into the lung segment. During control periods, lung saline was absorbed at a rate of 0.133% per minute as measured by indicator dilution of Blue Dextran. Only 57Co-cyanocobalamin crossed the epithelium. Acute hemodynamic pulmonary edema was produced by aortic constriction plus saline overload. In pulmonary edema the fluid volume in the airspace increased at the rate of 0.96% per minute, and there was a significant influx of 131I-albumin into the lung saline from the blood in all animals. However, neither 125I-albumin nor Blue Dextran diffused from the airspace into blood during edema; both were merely diluted by fluid influx. The rate of diffusion of 57Co-cyanocobalamin increased fivefold during edema. A small number of discrete breaks in the lung epithelium allowing bulk flow of interstitial fluid is proposed to account for the one-way movement of albumin in hemodynamic alveolar edema.     

The influence of the functional condition of the central nervous system on the development of toxic edema of the lungs and pleurisy

Summary The author studied the effect of the functional condition of the central nervous system and especially of the changes in the correlation of the main nervous processes — excitation and inhibition — on the development of toxic edema of the lungs and pleurisy. The changes in the functional state of the central nervous system were produced by the administration of sodium bromide, caffeine, and Phenamine (Benzedrine); stimulation of the vagosympathetic trunk was also used. Acute edema of the lungs and pleurisy were induced by sodium bromide administration. The results of experiments have demonstrated that alteration of the functional condition of the nervous system, particularly of the correlation of the excitation-inhibition processes, had a definite influence on the development of toxic edema of the lungs and pleurisy.(Presented by Academician V. N. Chernigovskii) Translated from Byulleten Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 27–32, February, 1961