Hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid during the development of bleomycin-induced alveolitis in the rat.

Hyaluronan (hyaluronate or hyaluronic acid) was measured in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from rats during a 30-day period after a single intratracheal dose of bleomycin. An increase of hyaluronan (HA) in BAL fluid was apparent by 3 days after bleomycin administration. Peak HA values were reached on Day 5 and were about 75 times higher than in control animals. Analyses of urea in BAL and HA in serum indicated that the increased levels of HA in BAL, postbleomycin, could not be explained by plasma leakage. The HA recovered by lavage decreased progressively after Day 5 and returned to normal 3 wk after bleomycin treatment. The HA content and an increased influx of PMN in BAL fluid were correlated and showed a similar time dependence, suggesting that enhanced synthesis of HA in the smaller airways is linked to the early inflammatory phase of the bleomycin injury.