ALPHA-TRINOSITOL DECREASES LUNG EDEMA FORMATION AFTER SMOKE-INHALATION IN AN OVINE MODEL

Inhalation injury is a dominant cause of mortality in thermally injured individuals. After acute lung injury induced by smoke inhalation, lung lymph flow (Q(L)) increased and pulmonary microvascular reflection coefficient to protein (sigma) decreased. alpha Trinositol (PP56, 1D-myo-inositol 1,2,6-trisphosphate) can decrease edema formation after thermal injury. We therefore tested the hypothesis that alpha-trinositol could decrease the pulmonary edema noted with inhalation injury. Seven days after surgical preparation, sheep were insufflated with smoke from burning cotton towels. The alpha-trinositol group (n = 8) were treated with alpha-trinositol (2 mg/kg + 3.5 mg.kg(-1).h(-1)). The sham group (n = 7) received an equal volume of 0.9% NaCl. The sham group showed a large increase in Q(L) (9.3 +/- 1.7 to 54.1 +/- 8.8 ml/h) and a decrease in sigma (0.79 +/- 0.03 to 0.48 +/- 0.03) 24 h after smoke inhalation. alpha-Trinositol attenuated the in crease in Q(L) (8.1 +/- 1.2 to 25.6 +/- 6.9 ml/h) and the decrease in sigma (0.76 +/- 0.03 to 0.60 +/- 0.03) noted with smoke inhalation. alpha-Trinositol thus decreased the changes in pulmonary microvascular permeability and transvascular fluid flux noted with inhalation injury.