Pulmonary effects of paraquat in the first day after injection.

To learn whether surface force changes precede the appearance of lung edema during experimental intoxication due to paraquat, we studied rats for 1 day following injection of 27 mg/kg iv. By 24 h, surface-active material recovered by lung lavage was decreased 32 percent, and changes in lung microsections and recoil pressure at half-deflation suggested decreased alveolar stability. Despite a 25 percent loss in overall body weight, lung weight increased more than 7 percent and protein concentration in lung lavage fluid increased by 158 percent. Lung edema was demonstrated morphologically as early as we could detect changes in surfactant or lung mechanical properties. Metabolic studies with lung tissue slices incubated with 4.5 times 10-4 M paraquat showed a fourfold increase in 14CO2 formed from (1-14C) glucose, but no significant change in 14CO2 form (6-14C) glucose, suggesting increased utilization of the pentose pathway for oxidation of glucose. (1-14C) Acetate oxidation was impaired slightly, but incorporation into lipid was decreased by 70 percent. we conclude that paraquat intoxication in the rat is not a suitable model for studying uncomplicated perturbation of the surfactant system.