Propranolol inhibits the maturational effect of adrenocorticotropin in the fetal sheep lung.

We reported previously that metyrapone inhibited the maturational effect of adrenocorticotropin in the fetal sheep lung, even in the presence of exogenous glucocorticoids. To examine the role of beta-adrenergic input in this response we examined lung maturation in fetal sheep treated for 100 hours in vivo with adrenocorticotropin (66 ng/min for 15 minutes every 2 hours, n = 5); adrenocorticotropin plus propranolol (40 micrograms/min, n = 4), or saline solution (n = 8). Pulmonary maturation was assessed by pressure-volume curves, phospholipid content, and morphologic features. The basal cortisol level rose from less than 5 to 32.0 +/- 12.1 and 83.5 +/- 8.0 ng/ml in the adrenocorticotropin and adrenocorticotropin plus propranolol groups, respectively. The adrenal:body weight ratio (X 10(-4)) rose from 1.43 +/- 0.12 in the saline solution group to 2.90 +/- 0.16 and 2.51 +/- 0.14 in the adrenocorticotropin and adrenocorticotropin plus propranolol groups, respectively. Lung distensibility (milliliters of air per gram of lung) rose from 1.10 +/- 0.14 to 1.90 +/- 0.20 in the adrenocorticotropin group but was unchanged (0.98 +/- 0.24) in the adrenocorticotropin plus propranolol group. Phosphatidylcholine (milligrams per gram of lung) in the lung lavage rose from 0.07 +/- 0.02 to 0.23 +/- 0.11 in the adrenocorticotropin group but was not significantly changed (0.12 +/- 0.06) in the adrenocorticotropin plus propranolol group. We conclude that propranolol inhibits the maturational effects of adrenocorticotropin on the fetal lung, which implies that the mechanism of pulmonary maturation is not solely dependent on endogenous cortisol and must be mediated, at least in part, through adrenergic responses.