Effect of lung thromboxane generation on regional blood flow during sheep bypass

Acute pulmonary artery hypertension and an increased plasma concentration of thromboxane B2 (TXB2), the stable metabolite of the potent vasoconstrictor thromboxane A2, occur within minutes of the onset of venovenous (VV) partial bypass in the awake sheep. To search for systemic vasoconstriction, we assessed systemic blood flow distribution by radioactive microspheres and correlated the changes to alterations in plasma TXB2 and 6-keto-F1 alpha concentration. In 10 control sheep mean plasma TXB2 concentration increased from 0.39 ng/ml prebypass to about 1.1 ng/ml at 8 and 16 min of bypass. Despite marked pulmonary vasoconstriction with a threefold elevated resistance, the blood flow to the heart, brain, and kidney were unchanged at 8 and 16 min of bypass. However, hepatic vascular resistance increased twofold at 8 min of bypass. Indomethacin treatment (10 mg/kg) of six sheep blocked the increase of both pulmonary and hepatic vascular resistance as well as reduced TXB2 levels below 0.1 ng/ml. Thus VV bypass induces transient and selective vasoconstriction of the lung and liver mediated by vasoconstrictor eicosanoids.