Effect of elastase and ventilation on elastic recoil of excised dog lungs

The effect of porcine pancreatic elastase and mechanical ventilation on tissue elastic recoil was examined in excised dog lung lobes. Lobes incubated for one hour with an elastase-buffer mixture showed a significant (P less than 0.001) left shift of the liquid-filled pressure-volume curve at all pressures measured (0 to 12 cm H2O) when compared to lobes treated with buffer only. These results suggest that the contribution of elastin to the elastic properties of lung tissue is greatest at mid-lung volumes, but that it also contributes to delimiting maximal lung volume. Elastase and buff-treated lobes were inflated cyclically with humidified air to a pressure of 20 cm H2O 6 times per min during a 16-hour period. This mechanical ventilation caused no further decrease of tissue elastic recoil. Ventilation did cause an unexpected increase in the elastic recoil of liquid-filled lobes that was significant at pressures of 4 cm H2O (P less than 0.025) or more (P less than 0.001). Elastase and buffer-treated lobes showed an almost identical rightward shift of the pressure-volume curve after ventilation when compared to the respective nonventilated control lobes. This increased recoil cannot be attributed to altered surface tension.