Therapeutic intervention in a rat model of ARDS: IV. Phosphodiesterase IV inhibition.

The following study was performed to determine the effects of phosphodiesterase IV (PDE-IV) inhibition and its attenuation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF alpha) production in a rat model of the Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Rats were either unexposed (n = 8), pretreated orally with vehicle prior to intratracheal saline exposure (n = 11), pretreated with vehicle prior to 7 mg/kg intratracheal endotoxin (LPS) administration (n = 22), or pretreated with 5 or 50 mg/kg rolipram prior to LPS exposure (n = 6 and 7, respectively). Blood was sampled 1 and 3 hr post LPS exposure and assayed for plasma TNF alpha concentrations. Twenty-four hours after LPS exposure, blood was sampled again for hematologic measurements. The rats were then anesthetized and exsanguinated. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed after the lung of each rat was removed and weighed. Rolipram pretreatment was protective against LPS-induced mortality and also resulted in reduced plasma TNF alpha concentrations. LPS induced pulmonary edema, as indicated by wet/dry lung weight ratio (W/D) and total BAL protein content (TP) was attenuated by rolipram pretreatment. LPS-induced alveolar hemorrhage was reduced by rolipram pretreatment, but LPS-induced pulmonary neutrophilia was not. The hemoconcentration induced by LPS was reduced by rolipram, as was the LPS-induced thrombocytopenia. However, LPS-induced changes in circulating leukocyte populations were actually exacerbated by rolipram. LPS-induced alterations in renal and hepatic function, indicated by increased blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), were inhibited by rolipram.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)