Effect of acute lung injury on metabolism of adenine nucleotides in rat perfused lung

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Abstract
1 The hydrolysis of adenosine di- and monophosphate (ADP, AMP) was studied in perfused lungs isolated from rats treated with α-naphthylthiourea (ANTU) to induce acute lung injury. This injury is associated with damage to the endothelium, the locus of the ADP and AMP hydrolysing enzymes. 2 Treatment with ANTU did not change the proportion of [3H]-ADP surviving a single passage through the pulmonary circulation, at any time up to 50 h after ANTU. Less than 8% and 2% respectively of 1 or 0.1 μmol ADP, given as a bolus, appeared in lung effluent. 3 The metabolites of ADP, AMP and adenosine in lung effluent were increased from 2 h after ANTU. 4 Metabolism of [3H]-AMP as substrate was always low but, following ANTU treatment, the adenosine content of lung effluent increased four fold. 5 It appears that, in spite of considerable endothelial cell damage, as demonstrated by pulmonary oedema, the ectoenzymes catalysing ADP and AMP hydrolysis were relatively little affected by ANTU.