Microscopic changes induced by the intratracheal inoculation of amniotic fluid and meconium in the lung of neonatal rats

Meconium aspiration syndrome is a major contributor to neonatal respiratory distress in infants and it has been sporadically recognized in neonatal animals. This investigation was designed to study the short and long term effects of meconium and amniotic fluid in the lungs of neonatal rats. Seven-day-old rats (n = 123) divided in three groups were intratracheally inoculated with saline solution, amniotic fluid or meconium. Rats were euthanatized on 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, 56 and 112 postinoculation days (PID) and the lungs were examined by light microscopy. Saline solution did not induce any change while amniotic fluid elicited only a mild foreign body response which disappeared by PID 14. In contrast, meconium induced an exudative alveolitis characterized by recruitment of neutrophilsn in the bronchoalveolar spaces. Meconium also induced atelectasis, hyperinflation and thickening of alveolar septa all of which had disappeared by PID 14. Starting at PID 7, neutrophils were progressively replaced by macrophages, giant cells, and some fibroblasts. There were sporadic foci of mineralization starting at PID 14 and lasting up to PID 112. Some mineralized foci became lined with cuboidal epithelial cells at PID 28. Meconium was slowly degraded but still evident by PID 112. It was concluded that inoculation of meconium in neonatal rats induces acute microscopic changes typical of meconium aspiration syndrome. The long term lesions induced by meconium consisted of persistent multifocal histiocytic alveolitis and bronchiolitis reaction with occasional foci of calcification.     

Reovirus infection in rat lungs as a model to study the pathogenesis of viral pneumonia.

We undertook the present study to elucidate the pathogenesis of the pathologic response to reovirus infection in the lungs and further understand the interactions of reoviruses with pulmonary cells. We found that reoviruses were capable of causing acute pneumonia in 25- to 28-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats following intratracheal inoculation with the reoviruses type 1 Lang (T1L) and type 3 Dearing (T3D). The onset of the pneumonia was rapid, marked by type I alveolar epithelial cell degeneration, type II alveolar epithelial cell hyperplasia, and the infiltration of leukocytes into the alveolar spaces. More neutrophils were recruited into the lungs during T3D infection than during T1L infection, and the serotype difference in the neutrophil response was mapped to the S1 gene of reovirus. Viral replication in the lungs was required for the development of pneumonia due to T1L and T3D infections, and replication occurred in type I alveolar epithelial cells. T1L grew to higher titers in the lungs than did either T3D or type 3 clone 9, and the S1 gene was found to play a role in determining the level of viral replication. We propose that experimental reovirus infection in the lungs can serve as a model for the pathogenesis of viral pneumonia in which pulmonary inflammation results following direct infection of lung epithelial cells.     

Cytotoxic effects of 3-methylindole on alveolar epithelial cells and macrophages: with special reference to microtubular and filamentous assemblies in alveolar type I cells of bovine lung

The alveolar type I cell is a major permeability barrier between the pulmonary interstitium and alveolar spaces and its thin cytoplasmic processes are greatly susceptible to injury. These cells are often observed to undergo progressive vesiculation, vacuolization and desquamation during 3-methylindole (3MI)-induced acute pulmonary edema after oral administration in goats and cattle. The present study describes proliferation of SER and the presence of polymerized tubulin in the form of microtubules arranged in large bundles shown at ultrastructural level as well as with immunofluorescence staining for tubulin in alveolar type I cells 72 hours after 3MI treatment. Such changes were not seen in pulmonary endothelial cells, alveolar type II cells, alveolar macrophages and neutrophils. The possible role of microtubules in alveolar type I cells as a mechanistic support to resist disruption against the forces of interstitial and alveolar edema is compared with alveolar type II cells, alveolar macrophages and neutrophils. The latter cells undergo dynamic movements in response to inflammatory stimuli and therefore did not show microtubules in their cytoplasm.     

SPF级新生大鼠高氧肺损伤模型的建立

目的建立一种操作简便、性能稳定的新生大鼠高氧肺损伤动物模型。方法①设计制造能自动控制氧浓度的高氧动物饲养舱。②将孕期满21 d出生的SPF级新生大鼠随机分成4组,即：高氧组Ⅰ（入高氧舱中饲养1～7 d）,高氧组Ⅱ（入高氧舱中饲养14 d）,以及相应的空气对照组Ⅰ、Ⅱ,每组14只。舱内氧浓度≥90%,每天23 h。计算肺系数,HE染色与病理学观察。结果高氧组与相应的对照组比较：高氧组大鼠体重轻,肺系数大,HE染色显示部分肺泡萎缩、肺间质及肺泡腔有水肿、出血,中性粒细胞浸润;肺泡发育明显滞后,辐射状肺泡计数明显少。结论本动物饲养舱性能稳定,操作简便;复制的新生大鼠的肺病理变化符合高氧肺损伤的改变。     

Alveolar liquid pressures in newborn and adult rabbit lungs

To study the effects of lung maturation and inflation on alveolar liquid pressures, we isolated lungs from adult and newborn rabbit pups (1-11 days old). We used the micropuncture technique to measure alveolar liquid pressure at several transpulmonary pressures on lung deflation. Alveolar liquid pressure was greater than pleural pressure but less than airway pressure at all transpulmonary pressures. Alveolar liquid pressure decreased further below airway pressure with lung inflation. At high transpulmonary pressure, alveolar liquid pressure was less in newborn than in adult lungs. To study the effects of edema, we measured alveolar liquid pressures in newborn lungs with different wet-to-dry weight ratios. Alveolar liquid pressure increased with progressive edema. In addition, we compared alveolar liquid and perivenular interstitial pressures in perfused newborn lungs and found that they were similar. Thus alveolar liquid pressure can be used to estimate perivenular interstitial pressure. We conclude that the transvascular pressure gradient for fluid flux into the interstitium might increase with lung inflation and decrease with progressive edema. Furthermore, this gradient might be greater in newborn than adult lungs at high inflation pressures.     

Comparative pulmonary toxicity of cadmium and nickel: histopathological and bronchoalveolar lavage analysis

Pulmonary toxicity of cadmium and nickel was evaluated in rat lungs following intratracheal instillation of their chlorides. Concentration of both the metals varied from 0.2-5 mM. Both the metals increased total number of cells, number of polymorphonuclear neutrophils, total protein, sialic acid and the activity of lactate dehydrogenase and beta-glucuronidase in bronchoalveolar lavage 3 days after exposure. Increase in the levels of the selected parameters was more following Cd exposure than in Ni exposed rats. Histologically there was an inflammatory response and interstitial fibroblastic proliferation in the lungs of Cd exposed animals. These changes were mild in Ni-exposed animals and higher concentrations of Ni were needed to produce changes similar to those produced by smaller concentrations of Cd.     

Sequential recruitment of neutrophils into lung and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in LPS-induced acute lung injury

Infiltration of activated neutrophils [polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN)] into the lung is an important component of the inflammatory response in acute lung injury. The signals required to direct PMN into the different compartments of the lung have not been fully elucidated. In a murine model of LPS-induced lung injury, we investigated the sequential recruitment of PMN into the pulmonary vasculature, lung interstitium, and alveolar space. Mice were exposed to aerosolized LPS and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL), and lungs were harvested at different time points. We developed a flow cytometry-based technique to assess in vivo trafficking of PMN in the intravascular and extravascular lung compartments. Aerosolized LPS induced consistent PMN migration into all lung compartments. We found that sequestration in the pulmonary vasculature occurred within the first hour. Transendothelial migration into the interstitial space started 1 h after LPS exposure and increased continuously until a plateau was reached between 12 and 24 h. Transepithelial migration into the alveolar air space was delayed, as the first PMN did not appear until 2 h after LPS, reaching a peak at 24 h. Transendothelial migration and transepithelial migration were inhibited by pertussis toxin, indicating involvement of Galphai-coupled receptors. These findings confirm LPS-induced migration of PMN into the lung. For the first time, distinct transmigration steps into the different lung compartments are characterized in vivo.     

Hypoxia decreases proteins involved in epithelial electrolyte transport in A549 cells and rat lung

Fluid reabsorption from alveolar space is driven by active Na reabsorption via epithelial Na channels (ENaCs) and Na-K-ATPase. Both are inhibited by hypoxia. Here we tested whether hypoxia decreases Na transport by decreasing the number of copies of transporters in alveolar epithelial cells and in lungs of hypoxic rats. Membrane fractions were prepared from A549 cells exposed to hypoxia (3% O(2)) as well as from whole lung tissue and alveolar type II cells from rats exposed to hypoxia. Transport proteins were measured by Western blot analysis. In A549 cells, alpha(1)- and beta(1)-Na-K-ATPase, Na/K/2Cl cotransport, and ENaC proteins decreased during hypoxia. In whole lung tissue, alpha(1)-Na-K-ATPase and Na/K/2Cl cotransport decreased. alpha- and beta-ENaC mRNAs also decreased in hypoxic lungs. Similar results were seen in alveolar type II cells from hypoxic rats. These results indicate a slow decrease in the amount of Na-transporting proteins in alveolar epithelial cells during exposure to hypoxia that also occurs in vivo in lungs from hypoxic animals. The reduced number of transporters might account for the decreased transport activity and impaired edema clearance in hypoxic lungs.     

Responses of baboons to prolonged hyperoxia: physiology and qualitative pathology.

Cardiopulmonary responses to prolonged hyperoxia and their relationships to the development of lung pathology have not been fully characterized in primates. In this study, circulatory hemodynamics and pulmonary function, vascular permeability, and leukocyte sequestration were measured in male baboons after 100% O2 exposure and related to ultrastructural changes of lung injury by electron microscopy. Three groups of animals were exposed to 100% O2 in an exposure cage for 40, 66, and 80 h, respectively. A fourth group of animals was exposed in a cage for 80 h and then anesthetized and ventilated with 100% O2 for additional time. These animals were exposed for a total duration of 110 h or until death from the injury. Physiological responses to hyperoxia were characterized by decreases in total lung capacity and inspiratory capacity at 80 and 110 h. A significant increase in pulmonary leukocyte accumulation was noted by 80 h. Extravascular lung water and permeability surface-area product increased at 80 and 110 h. Cardiac output and stroke volume also decreased, and systemic vascular resistance increased after 80 and 110 h of hyperoxia. Histopathological changes were present in the lungs of all but the 40-h exposure group. Animals exposed for 66 h showed endothelial injury and neutrophil accumulation. By 80 h, animals showed endothelial cell destruction, interstitial edema, and type I cell injury. At 110 h, animals showed substantial destruction of endothelial and type I epithelial cells, exposure of alveolar basement membrane, congestion of capillaries, and substantial interstitial edema. The data indicate that histological changes by electron microscopy precede physiological responses to hyperoxic pulmonary injury in baboons by as much as 14 h and that the physiological responses to early hyperoxic injury are relatively insensitive to the pathological injury.     

Ultrastructural study of ovine pulmonary pasteurellosis: involvement of neutrophils and macrophages

Pasteurellosis is a common infectious disease characterised by fibrinous pneumonia and involving neutrophils and macrophages. This study aimed to determine the timing and extent of the pathogenic involvement of these cell elements in lesions induced in experimentally-infected lambs. A concentration of approximately 3x10(8) bacteria/ml. was inoculated into 30 two-month-old disease-free Merino lambs. Five lambs were assigned to each of five experimental batches, slaughtered on days 1, 3, 7, 11 and 15 following intratracheal inoculation, and to one control batch inoculated with a sterile solution. One control animal was slaughtered at the same time as each experimental batch. More characteristic lesions occur in bronchioles, peribronchial tissue and alveoli and are characterised by fibrinous processes. From the start of the experiment, epithelial-cell disruption and loss of microvilli were apparent; cell debris, desquamate cells and bacterial elements were observed in bronchiolar lumina, embedded in a fibrillar granular material. Alveolar structures displayed fewer neutrophils and macrophages, containing phagocytic vacuoles. Laminar bodies were apparent in type II pneumocytes. The interseptal area contained similar cell types, as well as abundant edema. In the course of the experiment, macrophage numbers increased in all the areas involved, with signs of intense phagocytic activity. The final phase of the experiment was characterised by a mild interseptal infiltrate and by clear alveolar lumina.     

Effect of interstitial edema on lung lymph flow in goats in the absence of filtration.

We tested the effect of interstitial edema on lung lymph flow when no filtration occurred. In 16 anesthetized open-thorax ventilated supine goats, we set pulmonary arterial and left atrial pressures to nearly zero and measured lymph flow for 3 h from six lungs without edema and ten with edema. Lymph flow decreased exponentially in all experiments as soon as filtration ceased. In the normal lungs the mean half time of the lymph flow decrease was 12.7 +/- 4.8 (SD) min, which was significantly shorter (P less than 0.05) than the 29.1 +/- 14.8 min half time in the edematous lungs. When ventilation was stopped, lymph flow in the edematous lungs decreased as rapidly as in the normal lungs. The total quantity of lymph after filtration ceased was 2.7 +/- 0.8 ml in normal lungs and 9.5 +/- 6.3 ml in edematous lungs, even though extravascular lung water was doubled in the latter (8.4 +/- 2.4 vs. 3.3 +/- 0.4 g/g dry lung, P less than 0.01). Thus the maximum possible clearance of the interstitial edema liquid by the lymphatics was 6.3 +/- 4.8%. When we restarted pulmonary blood flow after 1-2 h in four additional goats, lymph flow recovered within 30 min to the baseline level. These findings support the hypothesis that lung lymph flow originates mainly from alveolar wall perimicrovascular interstitial liquid and that the contribution of the lung lymphatic system to the clearance of interstitial edema (bronchovascular cuffs, interlobular septa) is small.     

Role of IL-18 in acute lung inflammation.

We have examined the role of IL-18 after acute lung inflammation in rats caused by intrapulmonary deposition of IgG immune complexes. Constitutive IL-18 mRNA and protein expression (precursor form, 26 kDa) were found in normal rat lung, whereas in inflamed lungs, IL-18 mRNA was up-regulated; in bronchoalveolar (BAL) fluids, the 26-kDa protein form of IL-18 was increased at 2-4 h in inflamed lungs and remained elevated at 24 h, and the "mature" protein form of IL-18 (18 kDa) appeared in BAL fluids 1-8 h after onset of inflammation. ELISA studies confirmed induction of IL-18 in inflamed lungs (in lung homogenates and in BAL fluids). Prominent immunostaining for IL-18 was found in alveolar macrophages from inflamed lungs. When rat lung macrophages, fibroblasts, type II cells, and endothelial cells were cultured in vitro with LPS, only the first two produced IL-18. Intratracheal administration of rat recombinant IL-18 in the lung model caused significant increases in lung vascular permeability and in BAL content of neutrophils and in BAL content of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant, whereas intratracheal instillation of anti-IL-18 greatly reduced these changes and prevented increases in BAL content of IFN-gamma. Intratracheal administration of the natural antagonist of IL-18, IL-18 binding protein, resulted in suppressed lung vascular permeability and decreased BAL content of neutrophils, cytokines, and chemokines. These findings suggest that endogenous IL-18 functions as a proinflammatory cytokine in this model of acute lung inflammation, serving as an autocrine activator to bring about expression of other inflammatory mediators.     

Immunolocalization of 67 kDa elastin-binding protein in perinatal rat lungs

Summary 67 kDa elastin-binding protein (RL-67EBP) has been isolated from neonatal rat lungs by the use of an elastin-coupled affinity column, followed by elution with either lactose or synthetic elastin hexapeptide (VGVAPG), and immunohistochemistry has been used on perinatal rat lungs to determine the tissue localization of this protein. No immunoreactive structures occur in fetal lungs, or in the lungs of day-1 and-4 neonates. On day-7 after birth, immunoreactive cells appear in the subepithelial connective tissue of the intrapulmonary airways, from day-10 on, these cells become evenly distributed in the alveolar parenchyma. Occasionally, some cells occur in the alveolar air space, being free from the surface of the alveolar septum. Unpermeabilized cells obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage, show cell surface immunoreactivity, indicating that RL-67EBP is expressed on the surface membrane of the cells. From these findings, it is suggested that the immunoreactive cells are blood-borne monocytes, and that RL-67EBP may function as an elastin peptide receptor by which monocytes mobilize through interstitial connective tissue during their migration from blood to alveolar air space, where they eventually differentiate into alveolar macrophages.     

Sequential pathological studies in Asian water buffaloes infected intratracheally with Absidia corymbifera

Zygomycosis was produced experimentally in Asian water buffalo calves (Bubalus bubalis) by intratracheal inoculation of sporangiospores of Absidia corymbifera. Infected animals exhibited dullness, depression, partial anorexia, initial pyrexia, mucopurulent nasal and ocular discharge and coughing during the first week. There was no mortality at any stage of the experiment, which continued for 30 days. The gross and microscopic lesions were restricted to the lungs and there was no dissemination of the fungus to other organs. Gross and microscopic changes in the lungs were observed up to the 20th day post-infection. Gross lesions consisted of pneumonic consolidation of the antero-ventral lobes of the lungs. Microscopic changes consisted of granulomatous reactions with well developed pulmonary granulomas. Distorted hyphae of A. corymbifera were demonstrated in tissue sections up to 15 days post inoculation. Re-isolation of the fungus was achieved consistently for up to 15 days. It is concluded that intratracheal inoculation of A. corymbifera in buffalo calves leads to significant pathological changes in the lungs, but the disease appears to be self limiting 20 days following inoculation.     

Perialveolar interstitial resistance and compliance in isolated rat lung

We have developed a method to characterize fluid transport through the perialveolar interstitium using micropuncture techniques. In 10 experiments we established isolated perfused rat lung preparations. The lungs were initially isogravimetric at 10 cmH2O arterial pressure, 2 cmH2O venous pressure, and 5 cmH2O alveolar pressure. Perialveolar interstitial pressure was determined by micropuncture at alveolar junctions by use of the servo-null technique. Simultaneously a second micropipette was placed in an alveolar junction 20-40 microns away, and a bolus of albumin solution (3.5 g/100 ml) was injected. The resulting pressure transient was recorded for injection durations of 1 and 4 s in nonedematous lungs. The measurements were repeated after gross edema formation induced by elevated perfusion pressure. We model the interstitium as a homogeneous linearly poroelastic material and assume the initial pressure distribution due to the injection to be Gaussian. The pressure decay is inversely proportional to time, with time constant T, where T is a measure of the ratio of interstitial tissue stiffness to interstitial resistance to fluid flow. A linear regression was performed on the reciprocal of the pressure for the decaying portion of the transients to determine T. Comparing pressure transients in nonedematous and edematous lungs, we found that T was 4.0 +/- 1.4 and 1.4 +/- 0.6 s, respectively. We have shown that fluid transport through the pulmonary interstitium on a local level is sensitive to changes in interstitial stiffness and resistance. These results are consistent with the decreased stiffness and resistance in the perialveolar interstitium that accompany increased hydration.     

Effect of alveolar liquid on distribution of blood flow in dog lungs.

Previous studies have shown that a shift in blood flow away from edematous regions does not occur until the alveoli contain liquid. The present experiments were designed to examine the separate effect of air space liquid, air space plus interstitial liquid, and reduced lung volume on blood flow. We found that reduced lung volume was not associated with significant changes in blood flow and that no systematic change in blood flow occurred when alveoli were filled with isosmotic liquid (autologous plasma). However, when hyposmotic liquid (dilute plasma) was instilled so that both the air space and the alveolar wall interstitial space were filled, blood flow was systematically reduced. This suggested that interstitial liquid was responsible raising vascular resistance in these experiments and that it might also be important in raising local vascular resistance in pulmonary edema. This latter hypothesis was tested in isolated perfused lobes where rapid freezing and quantitative histology showed that the number of open capillaries was significantly reduced in the liquid-filled alveoli (P less than 0.001). These observations suggest that interstitial pressure rises in pulmonary edema with the result that the transmural pressure of the alveolar vessels falls and vascular resistance is increased.     

Depletion of resident alveolar macrophages does not prevent Fas-mediated lung injury in mice

Activation of the Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) system in the lungs results in a form of injury characterized by alveolar epithelial apoptosis and neutrophilic inflammation. Studies in vitro show that Fas activation induces apoptosis in alveolar epithelial cells and cytokine production in alveolar macrophages. The main goal of this study was to determine the contribution of alveolar macrophages to Fas-induced lung inflammation in mice, by depleting alveolar macrophages using clodronate-containing liposomes. Liposomes containing clodronate or PBS were instilled by intratracheal instillation. After 24 h, the mice received intratracheal instillations of the Fas-activating monoclonal antibody Jo2 or an isotype control antibody and were studied 18 h later. The Jo2 MAb induced increases in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) total neutrophils, lung caspase-3 activity, and BALF total protein and worsened histological lung injury in the macrophage-depleted mice. Studies in vitro showed that Fas activation induced the release of the cytokine KC in a mouse lung epithelial cell line, MLE-12. These results suggest that the lung inflammatory response to Fas activation is not primarily dependent on resident alveolar macrophages and may instead depend on cytokine release by alveolar epithelial cells.     

Evaluation of two-way protein fluxes across the alveolo-capillary membrane by scintigraphy in rats: effect of lung inflation.

Pulmonary microvascular and alveolar epithelial permeability were evaluated in vivo by scintigraphic imaging during lung distension. A zone of alveolar flooding was made by instilling a solution containing 99mTc-albumin in a bronchus. Alveolar epithelial permeability was estimated from the rate at which this tracer left the lungs. Microvascular permeability was simultaneously estimated measuring the accumulation of (111)In-transferrin in lungs. Four levels of lung distension (corresponding to 15, 20, 25, and 30 cmH2O end-inspiratory airway pressure) were studied during mechanical ventilation. Computed tomography scans showed that the zone of alveolar flooding underwent the same distension as the contralateral lung during inflation with gas. Increasing lung tissue stretch by ventilation at high airway pressure immediately increased microvascular, but also alveolar epithelial, permeability to proteins. The same end-inspiratory pressure threshold (between 20 and 25 cmH2O) was observed for epithelial and endothelial permeability changes, which corresponded to a tidal volume between 13.7 +/- 4.69 and 22.2 +/- 2.12 ml/kg body wt. Whereas protein flux from plasma to alveolar space ((111)In-transferrin lung-to-heart ratio slope) was constant over 120 min, the rate at which 99mTc-albumin left air spaces decreased with time. This pattern can be explained by changes in alveolar permeability with time or by a compartment model including an intermediate interstitial space.     

Early response cytokines and innate immunity: essential roles for TNF receptor 1 and type I IL-1 receptor during Escherichia coli pneumonia in mice

The early response cytokines, TNF and IL-1, have overlapping biologic effects that may function to propagate, amplify, and coordinate host responses to microbial challenges. To determine whether signaling from these early response cytokines is essential to orchestrating innate immune responses to intrapulmonary bacteria, the early inflammatory events induced by instillation of Escherichia coli into the lungs were compared in wild-type (WT) mice and mice deficient in both TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) and the type I IL-1 receptor (IL1R1). Neutrophil emigration and edema accumulation induced by E. coli were significantly compromised by TNFR1/IL1R1 deficiency. Neutrophil numbers in the circulation and within alveolar septae did not differ between WT and TNFR1/IL1R1 mice, suggesting that decreased neutrophil emigration did not result from decreased sequestration or delivery of intravascular neutrophils. The nuclear translocation of NF-kappa B and the expression of the chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-2 did not differ between WT and TNFR1/IL1R1 lungs. However, the concentration of the chemokine KC was significantly decreased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of TNFR1/IL1R1 mice compared with that in WT mice. Thus, while many of the molecular and cellular responses to E. coli in the lungs did not require signaling by either TNFR1 or IL1R1, early response cytokine signaling was critical to KC expression in the pulmonary air spaces and neutrophil emigration from the alveolar septae.