Influence of parenteral prostaglandin E1 on lung mechanics in normal man

The effects of an infusion of prostaglandin E1 0.02 microgram/kg/min on lung mechanisms were studied in 10 healthy subjects. No change occurred in total lung volume and its subdivisions, airway resistance or maximal expiratory flow-volume curves. During the infusion, a slight but significant shift to the left of the static pressure-volume curve of the lung was observed, without any significant change in the upstream resistance (RUS), calculated at 70, 60 and 50% of total lung capacity. The loss of elastic recoil pressure without any variation in airway resistance or RUS, suggests that intravenous PGE1 selectively relaxes the contractile elements of the lung parenchyma, perhaps more by its action on the vascular wall than on the tone of the peripheral bronchiolar smooth muscle.