Eglin-c prevents monocrotaline-induced ventilatory dysfunction.
Lai, Y. L., and K.-R. Zhou.
Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan
University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC, and Division of Pharmacology and
Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of
Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
APStracts 3:0434A, 1996.
The present study was carried out to investigate the relationship
between elastase and monocrotaline (MCT)-induced ventilatory
dysfunction in rats. To accomplish this, we used an elastase
inhibitor, eglin-c, to suppress the activity of endogenous elastase.
Thirty five young Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six
groups: control; MCT; eglin-c (1); eglin-c (2); eglin-c (1)+MCT; and
eglin-c (2)+MCT. Rats in the control group received no treatment.
Each MCT rat received a single injection of MCT (60 mg/kg, s.c.) one
week before the functional test. Each eglin-c (1) rat was
intratracheally instilled with eglin-c (9 mg/rat) twice in one week.
Each eglin-c (2) rat was intratracheally instilled with eglin-c (9
mg/rat) five times in one week. Both eglin-c+MCT groups were treated
with the combination of above eglin-c and MCT. In the MCT group,
there were significant decreases in dynamic respiratory compliance,
the maximal expiratory flow rate at 50% total lung capacity (TLC),
and the slopes of the maximal expiratory flow-% TLC curve and the
maximal expiratory flow-static recoil pressure curve. However, in the
eglin-c (1)+MCT and eglin-c (2)+MCT groups, all of the above MCT
-induced changes were prevented. All ventilatory values of the eglin-c
(1) and eglin-c (2) groups were not significantly different from
those of the control group. These results demonstrate that eglin-c
treatment prevents MCT-induced ventilatory dysfunction, and suggest
that endogenous elastase may play an important role in MCT-induced,
inflammation-mediated ventilatory abnormality.
Received 5 September 1995; accepted in final form 3 September
1996.
APS Manuscript Number A954-5.
Article publication pending Journal of Applied Physiology.
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 7 October 1996