Pattern of AMP degradation in ischemic rabbit lung tissue.

Because adenine nucleotide catabolites may be important during postischemic lung reperfusion, we examined the pathway of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) degradation in ischemic lung tissue. Once the pattern of degradation is known, pharmacological interventions can be considered, offering new methods of reducing lung reperfusion injury. For this purpose we used the isolated rabbit lung. Rabbit lungs were flushed in situ with a modified Krebs Henseleit solution (60 ml/kg). The lungs were removed and stored deflated, immersed in saline solution at 37 degrees C. At regular times, biopsies were taken, and adenine nucleotides, nucleosides, and bases were measured in these biopsies using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). During lung ischemia, a very significant increase of inosine monophosphate (IMP) was found. Adenosine levels on the other hand did not increase. Hypoxanthine was the major end catabolite of ischemic lung tissue (constituting 92% of the nucleoside and purine base fraction at 4 hours ischemia). To further determine the pathway of AMP degradation, 400 mM of the adenosine deaminase inhibitor erythro-9-[2-hydroxy-3-nonyl]adenine (EHNA) was added to the lung flush solution. During ischemia, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) breakdown was unaltered but adenosine became the major catabolite (2.8 times the concentration of hypoxanthine at 4 hours ischemia). These data suggest that: 1) in rabbit lung tissue, dephosphorylation of AMP to adenosine is more important than deamination to IMP; 2) hypoxanthine is the major end catabolite of ischemic lung tissue. By inhibiting the enzyme deaminase, reduced hypoxanthine levels and increased adenosine levels were obtained. Pharmacological interventions are now available to interfere with the formation of adenine nucleosides and bases in ischemic lung tissue. The importance of adenine nucleotide catabolites to postischemic lung reperfusion injury is discussed.