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EXPERIMENTAL PLEURISY-RESOLUTION OF A FIBRINOUS EXUDATE
1Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, New York.
The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|October 30, 2009
Summary
This study shows that enzymes from white blood cells (leukocytes) help break down fibrin in pleurisy. Carbon dioxide appears to activate these enzymes, aiding in the resolution of inflammatory exudates.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Pathology
Background:
- Fibrinous pleurisy, induced by turpentine in dogs, serves as a model to study enzyme activity in resolving inflammatory exudates.
- The inflammatory process involves fluid accumulation, fibrin deposition, and subsequent resolution over several weeks, with varying cellular and enzymatic profiles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of leukocyte enzymes in the resolution of fibrinous exudates in pleurisy.
- To characterize the enzymatic activity and cellular changes during different stages of pleurisy resolution.
Main Methods:
- Induction of fibrinous pleurisy in dogs using turpentine injection into the pleural cavity.
- Collection and analysis of pleural fluid and fibrin exudates at various time points post-induction.
- In vitro digestion assays of fibrin exudates in acidic and alkaline media, with and without added carbon dioxide.
Main Results:
- Fibrin exudates showed enzymatic digestion in both acidic and alkaline media during the early inflammatory stage, correlating with the presence of polynuclear leukocytes and leucoprotease.
- In later stages, digestion primarily occurred in acidic conditions, with mononuclear cells and an acid-digesting enzyme present.
- Proteolytic digestion products (peptone, albumose) appeared after three days.
- Exudate fluid inhibited leukocyte enzymes, but carbon dioxide was found to accelerate fibrin digestion, even in the presence of serum.
Conclusions:
- Leukocyte enzymes play a crucial role in the resolution of fibrinous pleurisy.
- The activity of these enzymes changes during the inflammatory process, with different enzymes predominating in early and late stages.
- Carbon dioxide is identified as a potential in vivo activator of the acid-digesting enzyme, facilitating fibrinolysis and resolution of the exudate.
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