[Effects of pneumogastric nerve stimulation and injection of a beta 2 stimulant (terbutaline) on the lipid composition of the alveolar lining fluid and on pulmonary compliance in the rat].

The effects of vagal stimulation and of terbutaline injection on lipidic composition of alveolar fluid and pulmonary compliance were studied. Three groups of rats were used: control, after right vagus nerve stimulation, after 0.2 mg terbutaline injection. The lungs of the rats were isolated. We studied pulmonary pressure-volume curves with air and we measured pulmonary compliance. We realised an alveolar lavage to obtain alveolar lipids. We observed: Vagus nerve stimulation and beta 2 agonist significantly increased fatty acids of total lipids respectively by 52.5% and 25.5% and phospholipids, respectively by 43.6% and 25.7%. beta 2 agonist did not change fatty acid composition of total lipids and phospholipids. Right vagus nerve stimulation increased the percentage of palmitic acid in phospholipids and decreased the percentage of saturated fatty acids and of palmitic acid in total lipids. Terbutaline injection induced more significant changes in pressure-volume curves and in pulmonary compliance than right vagus nerve stimulation. Our results suggest that both vagal stimulation and beta 2 agonists increase lipid release in alveolar lining, but only vagal stimulation modifies the composition of these lipids. These modifications could be, at least in part, correlated with the changes observed in the pressure-volume curves.