Purpose: Though nitric oxide has many favorable protective effects on donor lungs, it may also have cytotoxic side effects. In this regard, we investigated whether administration of nitroglycerine, a nitric oxide donor, could minimize ischemia-reperfusion injury in an isolated rat lung reperfusion model.
Materials and methods: Thirty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were used for this experiment. The nitroglycerine (NTG) group (n = 18) received the drug intravenously and the 17 control group hosts were treated with the same amount of normal saline. The heart-lung block was retrieved, weighed, and maintained in University of Wisconsin solution for 24 hours at 10 degrees C. Reperfusion was performed using human blood diluted in Krebs-Hensleit solution for 60 minutes. Peak inspiratory pressure, pulmonary artery pressure, and blood gas analysis were performed. After 60 minutes of reperfusion, the amount of protein in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and the myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the lung were measured.
Results: There were no major statistical differences between the two groups in peak inspiratory pressure and pulmonary artery pressure, but the NTG group maintained lower pulmonary artery pressure during the whole period of reperfusion. Oxygen tension in the NTG group was significantly higher, whereas there were no differences in carbon dioxide tension, BAL fluid, protein, or MPO activity.
Conclusion: Administration of NTG before donor lung preservation resulted in better lung protection, a possible strategy for clinical application.