Effects of ulinastatin, an antiprotease, on alloxan-induced lung injury in dogs.

To determine if alloxan-induced lung injury could be prevented by an antiprotease, ulinastatin, we used three groups of five anesthetized, ventilated dogs. They were given saline (20 ml/kg/hr) infusion alone (saline group), alloxan (75 mg/kg) + saline infusion (alloxan group), or ulinastatin (50,000 U/kg) + alloxan + saline infusion (ulinastatin group). The course of all dogs was followed for three hours. In the saline group, extravascular lung water to blood-free dry weight (Qwl/dQl) was 3.22 +/- 0.31 g/g (mean +/- SE). The alloxan group presented the following significant findings: a decrease in white blood cell and platelet counts (44.2% and 68.2% of control, respectively) at five minutes; an increase in thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (731.6% and 476.6% of control, respectively) at 15 minutes; an increase in beta-glucuronidase (124.8% of control) at 30 minutes; and an increase in Qwl/dQl (8.84 +/- 1.82 g/g) at the end of experiment. The addition of ulinastatin significantly reduced most alloxan-induced effects: differences in white blood cell counts, thromboxane B2, 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha, and Qwl/dQl between the saline and ulinastatin groups were small. We conclude that ulinastatin significantly reduces the extent of lung water accumulation in alloxan-induced lung injury.