Distribution of manganese superoxide dismutase mRNA in normal and hyperoxic rat lung

Aerobic metabolism requires a continuous oxygen supply, which in turn can form partially reduced species (free radicals) that damage cellular components. To prevent this, organisms have elaborate free radical-scavenging defenses that include the superoxide dismutases. The lungs are unique in their role as an oxygen-gathering system, making these defenses critical to lung integrity. Manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) levels increase in rats exposed to sublethal doses of hyperoxia and correlate with the development of tolerance to higher levels of hyperoxia. Although pulmonary Mn-SOD protein and mRNA levels both change with hyperoxia, the timing and levels differ dramatically. Lung heterogeneity makes extrapolation of data from whole tissue homogenates or cultures difficult. In this study, in situ hybridization of Mn-SOD in the lungs of adult rats exposed to air or to 85% O2 for 3 days was performed. In animals exposed to either air or 85% O2, Mn-SOD transcripts were present in arterioles, the septal tips of alveolar ducts, alveolar type II cells, and mesothelial cells. Hyperoxic lung had an intense, continuous labeling of the pleura that was distinctly greater than the intermittent labeling of the pleura found in control animals. The high level of expression of Mn-SOD mRNA in alveolar duct septal tips in both control and O2-exposed animals may be secondary to increased aerobic activity in these regions, which contain collagen and elastin and are important stress-bearing elements in the lung. Alveolar type II cells are metabolically active secretory cells and thus may experience increased endogenously generated oxidative stress. Pleural effusions are common after hyperoxic exposures, suggesting damage to the mesothelium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)