Influence of hyperbaric oxygen on tumor necrosis factor-alpha and nitric oxide production in endotoxin-induced acute lung injury in rats

We previously demonstrated that hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment alleviated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury in rats. However, the mechanisms responsible for the protective effect are still not fully understood. To obtain further information on the protective effect of HBO, in this study we investigated the role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and nitric oxide (NO) in intratracheal spraying LPS-induced acute lung injury in rats after HBO or hyperoxia treatment. The results showed that HBO but not hyperoxia attenuated the TNF-alpha level in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, NO concentration in BAL and plasma, and inducible NO synthase protein expression in lung tissue based on the Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining.