Shock : molecular, cellular, and systemic pathobiological aspects and therapeutic approaches : the official journal the Shock Society, the European Shock Society, the Brazilian Shock Society, the International Federation of Shock Societies
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Induction of the heat shock response may improve outcome from pathophysiological disturbances. This improvement is associated with and believed to result from expression of heat shock protein (HSP)-70. Therefore, we examined the temporal expression of HSP-70 in an animal model of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to fecal peritonitis. ⋯ Thus, the expression of HSP-70 does not change after 2CLP. Although lack of an increase in protein levels may be adaptive after sham operation, it is not appropriate after 2CLP. Therefore, failed HSP-70 expression represents a form of pulmonary epithelial dysfunction that may contribute to lung injury in sepsis.
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This study was performed to determine whether ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rat liver results in alterations in endothelin receptor expression. Hepatic ischemia was produced in rats for 60 min followed by 6 or 24 h reperfusion. Portal inflow pressure was increased (7.38+/-0.60 mmHg) at 24 hours after reperfusion. ⋯ These changes were more pronounced at 24 h after reperfusion than at 6 h. Interestingly, the changes in ET receptors was observed identically both in ischemic and non-ischemic lobes (ischemic lobe ET(A) 41.9%, ET(B) 51%; non-ischemic lobe ET(A) 38.8%, ET(B) 49.5%). These results indicate that the major functional endothelin receptor subtype upregulated in I/R is the ET(B) receptor and that this upregulation may contribute to microvascular dysregulation and hepatic injury.
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The effect of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibition on smoke inhalation injury in sheep.
Recent studies on smoke inhalation injury have been focused on nitric oxide (NO) as an essential factor of progressive lung injury. We studied the effects of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibition on inhalation injury in sheep. Sheep (n = 14) were prepared surgically for chronic study. ⋯ Lung wet/dry ratios, a marker of pulmonary edema, were significantly lower in the MEG group. At 48 h after injury, lung tissue-conjugated dienes, an index of lung oxidative tissue injury, were significantly lower in the MEG group than in the control group. Our data suggest that 1) iNOS-NO produced in the airway circulation plays a major role on the significant increase in airway blood flow, which may contribute to the spread of injury from injured airway to the lung parenchyma; 2) iNOS-NO induced in the pulmonary circulation contributes to the loss of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction; and 3) iNOS-NO plays an important role on the lung oxidative tissue injury.
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Caspases -2, -3, -6, and -9, but not caspase-1, are activated in sepsis-induced thymocyte apoptosis.
Sepsis induces extensive lymphocyte cell death that may contribute to immune depression and morbidity/mortality in the disorder. bcl-2 is a member of a new class of oncogenes that prevents cell death from an array of noxious stimuli. Transgenic mice that overexpress BCL-2 in T lymphocytes are resistant to sepsis-induced T cell apoptosis, and mortality was decreased in sepsis. The purpose of this study was to identify key initiator and executioner "caspases" involved in sepsis-induced lymphocyte apoptosis and to determine if BCL-2 acts prior to caspase activation. ⋯ BCL-2 prevented sepsis-induced thymocyte apoptosis and inhibited activation of all caspases. We conclude that sepsis causes activation of multiple caspases and that BCL-2 acts upstream as an inhibitor of caspase activation. The pattern of caspase activation suggests a mitochondrial mediated pathway.