Studies on the role of thromboxane in thrombin-induced pulmonary insufficiency in the rat.

During infusion of thrombin in rats pulmonary arterial pressure rose from 15 +/- 2 to 35 +/- 3 mmHg and mean arterial pressure fell from 120 +/- 6 to 49 +/- 27 mmHg. Plasma thromboxane B2 (TxB2) increased from 0.3 +/- 0.04 to 3.6 +/- 0.5 ng/ml. Ninety minutes later the lung weight and albumin concentration in the lung were increased (2.21 +/- 0.13 g and 22.7 +/- 4.7 mg/g) compared with controls (1.12 +/- 0.14 g and 8.5 +/- 0.9 mg/g). An inhibitor of thromboxane synthetase, Dazoxiben R, reduced the elevated pulmonary arterial pressure and the elevated plasma TxB2 concentration following infusion of thrombin. Ninety minutes after infusion of thrombin, the in vitro synthesis of TxB2 in lung tissue was increased. Dazoxiben and antineutrophil serum reduced this synthesis of TxB2 in vitro. The lung weight (2.18 +/- 0.20 g) and lung albumin concentration (21.4 +/- 3.4 mg/g) was not affected by Dazoxiben. The results indicate that TxA2 is an important mediator of the pressure changes in the early phase after infusion of thrombin and that neutrophils are associated with thromboxane formation in the lung tissue.