Pulmonary prostacyclin production with increased flow and sympathetic stimulation.

We evaluated the effects of an abrupt increase in flow and of a subsequent sympathetic nerve stimulation on the pulmonary production of prostacyclin (PGI2) and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) in canine isolated left lower lobes perfused in situ with pulsatile flow. When flow was abruptly increased from 50 +/- 3 to 288 +/- 2 ml/min, mean pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa) increased by 15 +/- 2 Torr and then declined by 2.4 Torr over the next 5 min. This secondary decrease in Ppa was associated with a significant 0.26 +/- 0.11 ng/ml increase in the pulmonary venous concentration of the stable PGI2 hydrolysis product 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha) as determined by radioimmunoassay. Stimulation of the left stellate ganglion usually resulted in an increase in Ppa which peaked at 1.1 +/- 0.6 Torr above its prestimulus level and then declined over the next 5 min. Associated with this decline was a 0.24 +/- 0.11 ng/ml increase in 6-keto-PGF1 alpha at 1 min. We suggest that the decline in Ppa is due to the synthesis and release of PGI2 by the endothelial cells in response to an increase in perfusion pressure.