Isolated perfused lung preparation for studying altered gaseous environments.

The isolated perfused lung (IPL) preparation is ideally suited to investigate lung dynamics and cellular function, and is easily adapted to investigating biochemical and physiological responses to environmental insults. The IPL offers several advantages which permit one to study endothelial/epithelial interactions that are often disrupted with other model systems (e.g., isolated cells, minces, slices, homogenates, etc.). The IPL developed in our laboratory was devised for the rat lung and allows four lungs to be perfused simultaneously in which control over ventilation, flow, pressure, pH, PO2 and PCO2 can be maintained. Isolated lungs perfused for 1 to 2 hr at a flow rate of 10 mL/min exhibit less that 2% weight gain, maintain normal ATP levels, and exhibit linear substrate uptake. Mechanisms leading to changes in vascular and airway resistance, lipid metabolism, vasoactive hormones, blood gases and changes in vascular permeability mediated by environmental insults can be quantified in the IPL preparation.