We investigated the effect of dibutyryl-cAMP pretreatment on endotoxin-induced hemodynamic changes and lung vascular injury in rats. In catheter-implanted, unanesthetized rats, intraperitoneal injection of Salmonella enteritidis endotoxin (2 mg/kg) decreased cardiac output and systemic blood pressure while increasing total pulmonary vascular resistance. Db-cAMP (1 mg given intraperitoneally every 30 min), although not significantly affecting cardiac output and systemic blood pressure, blocked the increase in total pulmonary resistance caused by endotoxin. Ninety minutes after intraperitoneal endotoxin injection, perfused lungs from endotoxin-treated rats exhibited increased pulmonary vascular permeability, as assessed by increased extravascular accumulation of 125I-albumin and water. Db-cAMP treatment in vivo markedly attenuated the increases in lung albumin leak index and wet-to-dry weight ratio caused by endotoxin without affecting lung microvascular pressures. This protective action of db-cAMP is not due to its effect on prostaglandin or leukotriene synthesis since endotoxin-stimulated increases in lung tissue 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha, thromboxane B2 and leukotriene C4 were not inhibited. We conclude that db-cAMP blocks endotoxin-induced lung injury in the rat by a mechanism independent of eicosanoid products and speculate that agents that increase intracellular cAMP may be therapeutically useful in acute lung vascular injury.