Hyporesponsiveness to inhaled nitric oxide in isolated, perfused lungs from endotoxin-challenged rats

Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) causes selective pulmonary vasodilation and improves oxygenation in patients with the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Approximately 30% of ARDS patients fail to respond to iNO. Because sepsis syndrome often accompanies a decreased response to iNO, we investigated NO responsiveness in isolated, perfused lungs from rats exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Eighteen hours after intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 mg/kg LPS, rat lungs were isolated, perfused, and preconstricted with U-46619. Ventilation with 0.4, 4, and 40 parts per million by volume NO vasodilated LPS-pretreated lungs 75, 47, and 42% less than control lungs (P < 0.01 value differs at each concentration). The diminished vasodilatory response to iNO was associated with decreased NO-stimulated guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) release into the perfusate. Soluble guanylate cyclase activity did not differ in lung extracts from LPS-pretreated and control rats. LPS increased pulmonary cGMP-phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity by 40%. The PDE-sensitive cGMP analogue 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate vasodilated lungs from LPS-pretreated rats less than lungs from control rats. In contrast, the PDE-insensitive 8-para-chlorophenylthioguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate vasodilated lungs equally from both groups. After LPS challenge, the rat pulmonary vasculature becomes hyporesponsive to iNO. Hyporesponsiveness to iNO appears partly attributable to increased pulmonary cGMP-PDE activity.