Relationship of interstitial fluid volume to alveolar fluid clearance in mice: ventilated vs. in situ studies

Our recent report (Garat C, Carter EP, and Matthay MA. J Appl Physiol 84: 1763-1767, 1998) described a new method to measure alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) in an in situ mouse preparation. However, in vivo preparations may be more suitable for studying alveolar fluid transport under some pathological conditions. Therefore, we developed a ventilated mouse model and compared AFC in the ventilated and the in situ mouse models. After 15 min, AFC was similar in both groups, but, after 30 min, AFC was 38% slower in the in situ mice (P < 0.05). Bilateral adrenalectomy and propranolol did not inhibit AFC after 15 min. Amiloride inhibited 90% of AFC in both groups. To evaluate the mechanism for the slower AFC in the in situ mouse preparation, we measured the extravascular lung water and calculated interstitial fluid volume. Extravascular lung water and interstitial fluid volume were greater in the in situ mice than in the ventilated mice at 30 min (P < 0.05). These results indicate that mouse AFC is fast, highly amiloride sensitive, and independent of endogenous catecholamines during the first 15 min. Accumulation of interstitial fluid probably plays an important role in slowing AFC in the in situ mouse lung model at later time intervals. These mouse models will be useful to quantify alveolar epithelial fluid transport under pathological conditions.