Protection against oxygen toxicity by intravenous injection of liposome-entrapped catalase and superoxide dismutase

Survival of rats exposed to 100% oxygen was increased from 69.5 +/- 1.5 to 118.1 +/- 9.9 h (mean +/- SEM, P less than 0.05) when liposomes containing catalase and superoxide dismutase were injected intravenously before and during exposure. The increased survival time in 100% oxygen was also associated with significantly less fluid in the pleural cavity. Rats injected with catalase- and superoxide dismutase-containing liposomes, which had increased survival in 100% oxygen, had increased lung wet weight upon autopsy compared with saline-injected controls (2.9 +/- 0.2 g/lung vs. 4.8 +/- 0.4 g/lung, mean +/- SE, P less than 0.05). Intravenous injection of control liposomes along with catalase and superoxide dismutase in the suspending buffer decreased the mean pleural effusion volume 89% and had no significant effect on survival time. Lung catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were increased 3.1- and 1.7-fold, respectively, 2 h after a single intravenous injection of liposomes containing catalase or superoxide dismutase. Superoxide dismutase activity was also significantly greater than controls in both air- and 100% oxygen-exposed rat lungs, when enzyme activity was assayed 24 h after cessation of injection of control and oxygen-exposed rats with enzyme-containing liposomes every 12 h for 36 h. Free superoxide dismutase and catalase injected intravenously in the absence of liposomes did not increase corresponding lung enzyme activities, affect pleural effusion volume, lung wet weight, or extend the mean survival time of rats exposed to 100% oxygen. The clearance of liposome-augmented 125I-labeled catalase from lung and plasma obeyed first order kinetics according to a one-compartment model. When clearance of liposome-augmented catalase activity or radioactivity were the parameters used for pharmacokinetic studies, the half-life of augmented lung catalase was 1.9 and 2.6 h, respectively. The half-life of liposome-entrapped catalase and superoxide dismutase activity in the circulation was 2.5 and 4 h, respectively, while intravenously injected catalase and superoxide dismutase had a circulation half-life of 23 and 6 min, respectively.

Liposome-mediated augmentation of superoxide dismutase in endothelial cells prevents oxygen injury

Increased intracellular production of oxygen radicals is a major etiology of cell damage from many quinoid antibiotics, environmental toxicants, and hyperoxia. Enhancing the intracellular content of protective enzymes can provide a means of limiting biological damage caused by free radicals. Liposomal entrapment and intracellular delivery of superoxide dismutase to cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells increased the specific activity of cellular superoxide dismutase 6 to 12-fold. This augmented superoxide dismutase activity persisted in cultured endothelial cell monolayers and rendered these cells resistant to oxygen-induced injury. Culture of confluent endothelial cells in hyperoxia increased 51Cr and lactate dehydrogenase release in an oxygen concentration-dependent manner. Superoxide dismutase-augmented endothelial cells were resistant to oxygen damage compared to untreated controls, in a superoxide dismutase concentration-dependent manner. Free superoxide dismutase in the absence or presence of liposomes containing no enzyme had no effect on cellular enzyme activity and did not protect from oxygen damage. Liposomes made from saturated fatty acid-containing phospholipids had a small but significant protective effect on oxygen-induced cell damage. These liposomes probably increased endothelial cell membrane saturated lipid content and thereby decreased peroxidative damage when the cells were exposed to hyperoxia. Conversely, preincubation of cells with arachidonic acid increased cell arachidonic acid content, sensitivity to hyperoxia, and hyperoxia-induced production of thiobarbituric acid material. These data suggest that intracellular delivery of superoxide dismutase prevents oxygen-induced cell damage and that superoxide is an important mediator of cellular oxygen toxicity.

Positive correlation between superoxide dismutase and resistance to paraquat toxicity in the green alga Chlorella sorokiniana

Paraquat (10-30 microM) exerted a dose-dependent and light-dependent toxicity on Chlorella sorokiniana. Paraquat was also seen to increase the superoxide dismutase content of these cells and to cause the appearance of a new electrophoretically distinct isozyme. Cells grown in the absence of paraquat contained one manganese-superoxide dismutase and two iron-superoxide dismutases, while the paraquat-grown cells contained an additional manganese-superoxide dismutase. Cells which were grown in the presence of 25 microM Paraquat, and which therefore possessed elevated levels of superoxide dismutase, were resistant to 30 microM Paraquat, whereas control cells were bleached and killed by this level of Paraquat. Electron micrography and chemical analysis revealed that Paraquat decreased the starch content of the cells and caused a failure of dividing cells to separate. It appears that Paraquat increases the photoproduction of O2- in C. sorokiniana and that an increase in the cell content of superoxide dismutase is an adaptive response which provides protection against this herbicide.

Morphometric characteristics of cells in the alveolar region of mammalian lungs

Morphometric procedures have been used to study the characteristics of cells in the alveolar region of the lungs of rats, dogs, baboons, and humans. Compared with the other species, human lungs were found to contain greater numbers of macrophages and to have larger alveolar type II, endothelial, and interstitial cells. The thickness of the interstitium and the pulmonary capillary endothelium were also significantly greater in the human lungs. These differences in human lung anatomy may be due to increased exposure to airborne pollutants and to tobacco smoke. Despite the above differences and the fact that there are large variations in size and functional characteristics of the lungs of these mammals, an overall striking similarity in characteristics of individual lung cells was found. The distribution of cells in alveolar tissue was remarkably constant between species as was the average volume and surface area of most cell types. Computer-aided three-dimensional reconstruction techniques were used to determine the spatial relationship of organelles in individual alveolar type II cells from rats. A three-dimensional reconstruction of cells permits quantification of number, size, surface area, and volume of subcellular organelles and correlations of their three-dimensional spatial relationships.

Reaction of rat lungs to inhaled chrysotile asbestos following acute and subchronic exposures

Inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause fibrotic and neoplastic diseases in the lung. The early in vivo interactions between fibers and lung tissue that initiate these diseases have received little study. Male and female Fischer 344 rats were placed in inhalation chambers and exposed to 9.06 +/- 1.83 mg/m3 (average respirable mass) of chrysotile asbestos for 1 hr, 1 day, 7 hr/day for 5 days, or 5 days/week for 3 months. Qualitative examination of the tissue showed that, after 1 day, fibers were found not only in the alveolar macrophages, but also in the epithelium and interstitium of the alveolar region. After 3 months, numerous fibers were present in the epithelium and interstitium. Morphometric analysis of this tissue showed that these compartments were also the most significantly changed as a result of asbestos exposure. The majority of epithelial changes were attributable to a 57% increase in the number of type II cells and a 90% increase in their average cell volume. The interstitial cell population increased 58% with a 40% increase in the average cell volume. There was no significant increase in the volume of noncellular interstitium. A morphologic characterization of the interstitial cells showed that interstitial macrophages accounted for almost the entire increase in this population and that 88% of the fiber-containing cells were macrophages. Several interstitial macrophages contained membrane-bound inclusions which were shown by x-ray energy spectrometry to be microcalcifications. They were composed of rings of calcium phosphate granules around asbestos fibers. These microcalcifications may indicate sublethal cell injury caused by the presence of asbestos fibers in the cell cytoplasm. Fibers which enter but do not kil alveolar cells may be an essential component for the pathogenesis of lung disease caused by asbestos inhalation.

Characterization of three types of chrysotile asbestos after aerosolization

Jeffrey Mine and Coalinga Mine chrysotile, two asbestos samples prepared for experimental research by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the UICC B chrysotile reference sample have been characterized in the aerosolized state using gravimetric measurements, light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray energy spectrometry. These methods revealed (1) a greater "respirable" mass fraction in the Jeffrey and UICC B preparations compared to the Coalinga sample, (2) for fibers greater than 5 microns in length and less than 3 microns in diameter, Jeffrey Mine chrysotile contained a significantly greater fraction of fibers longer than 40 microns in length compared to the UICC B or Coalinga Mine chrysotiles, and (3) Jeffrey and UICC B chrysotile contained no fibers or fiber clusters which exceeded 2 microns in diameter while Coalinga chrysotile contained numerous fibers and fiber clusters which were greater than 2 microns in diameter. The characterization of these chrysotile preparations in the aerosolized state, in particular the Coalinga Mine chrysotile, demonstrated different fiber length and fiber width distributions when compared with previous characterizations of samples that had been dispersed in a liquid medium by ultrasonification. These observations emphasize the importance of determining size distribution of fibers in the aerosolized state for inhalation studies and the size distribution of fibers in a liquid suspension for oral ingestion, instillation, or injection studies. Because of differences in length-width distributions, each of the studied chrysotile preparations would be expected to have different patterns of deposition in the alveolar regions of the lung after an inhalation exposure.

Morphologic aspects of the protection by endotoxin against acute and chronic oxygen-induced lung injury in adult rats

Small doses of endotoxin are reported to protect against O2-induced lung injury in rats. To better understand the cellular basis of this effect, we morphometrically analyzed the extent to which endotoxin modified the changes in lung ultrastructure occurring in adult rats exposed acutely to 100% O2 for 60 hours or chronically to 85% O2 for 7 days. In rats exposed to 100% O2, endotoxin resulted in 34% less volume of noncellular interstitium (i.e., less interstitial edema) and 42% less volume of cellular interstitium; however, interstitial edema and cellularity were still more than in air-exposed controls. Endotoxin did not significantly prevent decreases in endothelial cell number and capillary surface area or increases in intracapillary neutrophil volume caused by 100% O2. There was also no change in the number of type I and type II epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages. In rats exposed chronically to a sublethal tolerance-inducing level (85%) of O2, endotoxin resulted in 36% more endothelial cells (i.e., less of a decrease from control values) and 30% less interstitial cells (i.e., less of an increase from control values). The increase in number of type II epithelial cells and the degree of endothelial cell hypertrophy caused by 85% O2 were not altered. We conclude that endotoxin resulted in significant protection against O2-induced changes in ultrastructure; this occurred mainly in the capillary endothelium and interstitium. The primary effect may be a reduction in damage to, and death of, endothelial cells leading secondarily to less of an increase in capillary permeability, less interstitial (and alveolar) edema, and less proliferation and recruitment of interstitial cells. There was no evidence of a mitogenic effect on type II epithelial cells or change in number of either alveolar macrophages or intravascular neutrophils.

Comparison of total lung diffusion capacity and the membrane component of diffusion capacity as determined by physiologic and morphometric techniques

Morphometric estimates of diffusion capacity have traditionally been calculated for oxygen (DLO2) while physiologic techniques have been used to determine diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO). Morphometric estimates of DLCO and Dm were determined for carbon monoxide so that the results can be directly compared to those obtained using physiologic techniques. Multiple gas rebreathing techniques were used to measure total lung diffusion capacity (DLCO), membrane component of diffusion capacity (Dm) and pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc) in five anesthetized dogs. After the rebreathing measurements were made, the lungs were inflation fixed with glutaraldehyde and subjected to morphometric analysis. The morphometric estimate of diffusion capacity was three times higher than the physiologic estimate. The major components of diffusion capacity, Dm and theta Vc were found to be of approximately equal size when measured physiologically (Dm = 34 and theta Vc = 27 ml X min-1 X mm Hg-1). In contrast, the morphometric estimate of Dm was about six times higher than the morphometric estimate of theta Vc. The widely different ratios of the two major subcomponents of the total lung diffusion capacity as measured by these two different techniques suggest that the same lung function is not being accurately measured by at least one of these two techniques. Differences in results for DLCO cannot be explained by differences in the physiologic state of the animal at the time the measurement was made. Morphometric analysis predicts that Vc is the major term affecting the value of DLCO whereas the physiologic techniques predict that both Dm and Vc contribute substantially to the value of DLCO.

Structural and biochemical adaptive changes in rat lungs after exposure to hypoxia

Rats exposed to 10 to 11 per cent oxygen for 7 days develop tolerance to hyperoxia and can survive for prolonged periods in 100 per cent oxygen. This preexposure to hypoxia is associated with a 180 per cent increase in the activity of the mangani superoxide dismutase but no increase in activity of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, or the mitochondrial enzymes, cytochrome oxidase and succinate cytochrome c reductase. Cyanide-insensitive oxygen uptake is also increased after this exposure to hypoxia suggesting that an enhanced rate of production of partially reduced species of oxygen may occur. Morphometric and morphologic studies of lung structure demonstrate that no substantial change in cell population characteristics occur in the lungs of animals exposed to hypoxia, but there are ultrastructure changes in the cytoplasm of pulmonary capillary endothelial cells consistent with focal hypertrophy and enhanced metabolic activity of these cells.

Biology of disease: free radicals and tissue injury

A free radical is any molecule that has an odd number of electrons. Free radicals, which can occur in both organic (i.e., quinones) and inorganic molecules (i.e., O(2)), are highly reactive and, therefore, transient. Free radicals are generated in vivo as by products of normal metabolism. They are also produced when an organism is exposed to ionizing radiation, to drugs capable of redox cycling, or to xenobiotics that can form free radical metabolites in situ. Cellular targets at risk from free radical damage depend on the nature of the radical and its site of generation. In this review we survey cellular sources of free radicals and the reactions they can undergo and discuss cellular defenses and adaptive mechanisms.

Lung tissue and capillary blood volumes by rebreathing and morphometric techniques

Gas rebreathing measurements of lung tissue volume (Vt) and pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc) were made in five anesthetized dogs. After the rebreathing measurements, the lungs were inflation fixed with glutaraldehyde and analyzed morphometrically. Each lung was morphometrically divided into alveolar and nonalveolar compartments and each compartment was divided into its air, tissue and blood components. Average rebreathing and morphometric measurements of Vc were 42 and 84 ml, respectively. The reasons for this difference remain unclear. The rebreathing Vt (198 ml) was 40 ml (25%) greater than the morphometric alveolar tissue and blood components (158 ml). Assuming that the rebreathing technique measures all of the alveolar compartment, the rebreathing measurement includes a significant fraction of the nonalveolar compartment.

Cell number and cell characteristics of the normal human lung

Eight normal human lungs obtained from patients dying from causes not related to the lung were subjected to morphometric analysis to determine the number of cells in the alveolar region and their mean volume and surface characteristics. The age range was 19 to 40 yr, average body weight was 74 kg, and the average fixed lung volume was 4,300 ml. The overall mean nuclear diameters of the nuclei of 5 major cell types in the lung parenchyma were found to have little variation, with means ranging from 7.54 to 8.77 micrometers. Alveolar type I epithelial cells were found to comprise 8% of the cells and to be one of the largest cells, having a mean volume of 1,764 micrometers 3 and covering an average of 5,098 micrometers 2 of alveolar surface. Seven percent of the alveolar surface was covered by alveolar type II cells, which make up 16% of the total alveolar cells and have a mean volume that is half that of the type I pneumocyte. Capillary endothelial cells make up 30% of the lung cells and were significantly smaller in both size and average surface area than the alveolar type I cells. Cells in the interstitial space comprised 37% of the total cells. The number of alveolar macrophages showed great variability, ranging from 19% of alveolar cells in 1 person to 3 to 5% in the nonsmoking females. The alveolar cell population characteristics found in resected lobes from 2 nonsmoking females were found to be similar to 2 nonsmoking females studied after autopsy. An interspecies comparison of characteristics of cells from the alveolar regions of normal lungs from humans, baboons, and rats showed that proportions of cells in the alveolar region and their average thickness, size, and surface areas were relatively constant.

A copper-deficient, zinc-supplemented diet produces emphysema in pigs

A mild form of emphysema was produced in pigs raised on a copper-deficient, zinc-supplemented diet. The copper-requiring enzyme, lysyl oxidase, catalyzes the cross-linking of tropoelastin into mature elastin. Zinc further inhibits the activity of lysyl oxidase. Lungs from animals raised on copper-deficient, zinc-supplemented diets of demonstrate perforations in alveolar walls and diminished amounts of elastin bronchi and pulmonary arteries. Mean linear intercepts are greater and alveolar internal surface areas are less than those in control animals, fulfilling the generally accepted definition of emphysema. Physiologic confirmation is provided by a leftward shift of the saline volume-pressure curves when compared with those in control animals. Ultrastructurally, the alveolar walls are effaced and pores of Kohn are enlarged. There are areas in which elastin is absent leaving remnant microfibrils, and there are other changes consistent with active elastin synthesis. Biochemical data demonstrate no difference in elastin content as micrograms/ml of fat-free dry weight but do demonstrate increased collagen content in experimental animal lungs compared with that in control lungs. Ultrastructural similarities to enzyme-induced models of emphysema suggest the presence of elastin degradation in our model. We speculate that although the copper-deficient, zinc-supplemented state may stimulate protein synthesis in general, elastin is being degraded by endogenous means, but collagen is not.

Morphologic changes in the lung during the lifespan of Fischer 344 rats

Pulmonary structure and function were quantitatively investigated over the lifespan of the Fischer 344 rat by morphometric and physiologic techniques. Male animals 1 week, 6 weeks, 5 months, 14 months, and 26 months of age and female animals 5 months, 14 months, and 26 months of age were studied. All alveolar tissue compartments demonstrated significant increases in volume, surface area, and cell number during the first 5 months of life. From 5 to 26 months of age, remodelling in the epithelial and interstitial compartments continued to take place while the endothelial compartment remained relatively unchanged. In the epithelial compartment the ratio of type II cells to type I cells lining the alveolar surface decreased as age increased. In the interstitial compartment the volume of the noncellular components of the interstitium increased by 39% in males and by 89% in females from 5 to 26 months of age. Physiologic measurements of lung volumes in males at 6 weeks, 14 months, and 26 months demonstrated progressive increases in vital capacity (VC) and total lung capacity (TLC). Morphometric pulmonary-diffusion capacity (DLO2) increased in males from 1 week to 5 months of age and remained relatively unchanged from 5 to 26 months of age in both sexes.

Pulmonary injury in rats following continuous exposure to 60% O2 for 7 days

Morphological, biochemical, and physiological studies were done on rats exposed to 60% O2 for 7 days. This exposure did not induce O2 tolerance but instead caused a significant decrease in survival time of animals subsequently exposed to pure O2. The activity of lung superoxide dismutases and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase were unchanged after exposure to 60% O2. A decrease in lung compliance was suggested by changes in the total lung capacity and in the pressure-volume curves of excised lungs. Ventilation of these animals with large tidal excursion resulted in pulmonary edema. Morphometric analyses revealed a significant decrease in alveolar air volume and an increase in the number of alveolar macrophages. The most significant lesions involved the pulmonary vascular bed. The volume and thickness of the capillary endothelium was decreased. There were focal areas of pericapillary fluid accumulations, and a number of the smaller vessels had perivascular edema. These findings suggest that significant pulmonary injury occurs in rats exposed to 60% O2 and that the primary site of injury is the pulmonary capillary endothelium.

Rat lung surfactant kinetics biochemical and morphometric correlation

Biochemical and morphometric techniques were combined to estimate the distribution and flux or rat lung disaturated phosphatidylcholine (DSPC) in surfactant pathways. We found 126 +/- 8 X 10(6) alveolar epithelial type II (AEP II) cells per lung, each containing 150 +/- 30 lamellar bodies (LB). High yields of LB were isolated by centrifugation of lung homogenates with a discontinuous sucrose density gradient. Measurement of DSPC in LB and alveolar lavage (LV) material demonstrated that only 30% (LB 14%, LV 16%) of lung DSPC was present in these surfactant compartments. Radiolabeling of lung DSPC with [14C]palmitate demonstrated a product-precursor-relationship between LB and LV and a surfactant-associated DSPC flux of 90 microgram-lung-1 X h-1. We conclude that, although only 16% of lung DSPC is in an intracellular surfactant pathway at any time, all this DSPC is ultimately secreted onto the alveolar surface.

A quantitative histologic study of avian osteopetrotic bone demonstrating normal osteoclast numbers and increased osteoblastic activity

Hyperostotic diseases caused by increased osteoblastic activity are poorly understood partially because a suitable animal model is not available for their study. In contrast, a hyperostotic disorder caused by defective osteoclasts (mammalian osteopetrosis) is better understood, largely because of advances made with a murine model of the disease. The avian form of osteopetrosis is caused by RNA tumor viruses, but the role of osteoblasts and osteoclasts is not clear. We have performed a morphometric analysis of osteopetrotic avian bone to provide basic information about changes in the cells of bones from animals developing the disease. Chick embryos were injected at 12 days of incubation with a virus (MAV-2(0)) that induces osteopetrosis at a high frequency. Changes in bone volume were detected 14 days after virus injection. By 3 weeks of age, the bone volumes of osteopetrotic chicks were 4.7-fold larger than controls. The mean caliper diameter of an osteoclast was the same in osteopetrotic and normal bone. The number of osteoclasts per tibia increased in osteopetrotic animals, but the density of osteoclasts decreased. The presence of an increased number of osteoclasts of a normal size rules out the possibility that the virus causes osteopetrosis by selectively killing osteoclasts. The total bone-nonbone interface increased in osteopetrosis, and greater than 90 per cent of interface surface was devoted to bone deposition. These results indicate that avian osteopetrosis is an osteoblastic, proliferative disorder of bone and may serve as an excellent animal model for human diseases in which osteoblasts increase in number.