Abstract
Summary
The amount of lung DNA is unchanged in pulmonary edema induced by TU or O3 while lung weight increases significantly. The constancy of lung DNA enabled us to make a valid comparison of ATPase activity and histamine content between normal and edematous lungs. There was no difference in ATPase activity between the 2 groups when expressed per mg DNA in contrast to a striking decrease in the edematous lung when expressed per g wet lung weight. TU but not O3 caused the depletion of histamine from the lungs of 70 day old rats with a concomitant increase in plasma histamine. TU had no effect on lung histamine of 25 day old rats. The possible involvement of histamine in the pathophysiology of TU-induced pulmonary edema is discussed.
This research was supported in part by a grant from the Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association of California and the University of California, Davis, Chancellor's Patent Fund. The authors are indebted to Mr. L. Richard Karrt and Mr. Timothy E. Cronin for technical assistance.
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