Effect of ibuprofen on thrombin-induced pulmonary edema in the rat

The effect of ibuprofen on thrombin-induced pulmonary edema was studied in rats. Thrombin infusion produced a significant increase in lung weight, wet weight/dry weight ratio and relative lung water content, a rise in mean pulmonary arterial pressure and a fall in mean systemic arterial pressure. It also caused a progressive decrease in PaO2 and a continuous increase in pH and PaCO2. Administration of either the S-isomer or R-isomer of ibuprofen at doses of 5 mg/kg body weight prior to thrombin infusion resulted in significant reduction in lung weight, wet weight/dry weight ratio and water content. The wet weight/dry weight ratio and the water content were somewhat lower after infusion of the S-isomer than of the R-isomer. Ibuprofen diminished the thrombin-induced increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure and attenuated the early and late decrease in mean systemic arterial pressure caused by thrombin. Ibuprofen also stabilized thrombin-induced impairments in PaO2, PaCO2 and pH. The results thus indicate that ibuprofen effectively counteracts hemodynamic changes, stabilizes impairments in arterial blood gas variables and attenuates the increase in lung vascular permeability to protein with pulmonary edema caused by thrombin. The results also indicate a substantial R to S chiral inversion of ibuprofen in vivo in the rat.