American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology
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Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell Mol. Physiol. · Jan 2011
Linking lung function and inflammatory responses in ventilator-induced lung injury.
Despite decades of research, the mechanisms of ventilator-induced lung injury are poorly understood. We used strain-dependent responses to mechanical ventilation in mice to identify associations between mechanical and inflammatory responses in the lung. BALB/c, C57BL/6, and 129/Sv mice were ventilated using a protective [low tidal volume and moderate positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and recruitment maneuvers] or injurious (high tidal volume and zero PEEP) ventilation strategy. ⋯ Three factors were identified linking 1) pulmonary edema, protein leak, and macrophages, 2) atelectasis, IL-6, and TNF-α, and 3) IL-1β and neutrophils, which were independent of responses in lung mechanics. This approach has allowed us to identify specific inflammatory responses that are independently associated with overstretch of the lung parenchyma and loss of lung volume. These data provide critical insight into the mechanical responses in the lung that drive local inflammation in ventilator-induced lung injury and the basis for future mechanistic studies in this field.