Restoration of normal pH triggers ischemia-reperfusion injury in lung by Na+/H+ exchange activation

The effects of acidotic extracellular pH and Na+/H+ exchange inhibition on ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced microvascular injury were studied in the isolated, buffer-perfused rat lung. When lungs were subjected to 45 min of ischemia followed by 30 min of reperfusion, the capillary filtration coefficient (Kfc) increased significantly, resulting in a change in Kfc (delta Kfc) of 0.360 +/- 0.09 ml.min-1.cmH2O-1.100 g-1. Addition of hydrochloric acid to the perfusate before ischemia at a concentration sufficient to reduce perfusate pH from 7.38 +/- 0.03 to 7.09 +/- 0.04 completely prevented the increase in Kfc associated with I/R (delta Kfc = 0.014 +/- 0.034 ml.min-1.cmH2O-1.100 g-1). Addition of a Na+/H+ exchange inhibitor, 5-(N,N-dimethyl)-amiloride, to the perfusate either before ischemia or at reperfusion also prevented the I/R-induced permeability increase (delta Kfc = 0.01 +/- 0.02 and -0.001 +/- 0.02 ml.min-1.cmH2O-1.100 g-1, respectively). We conclude that restoration of flow at physiological pH to the postischemic lung activates the Na+/H+ exchange system, which may represent the "triggering mechanism" responsible for initiating reperfusion-induced microvascular injury.