1996 Volume 10 Issue 1 Pages 8-13
We studied the changes in the content of total adenine nucleotides and purine compounds in ischemic rat lungs. 1) The stoichiometric relationship between the total loss of adenine nucleotides and the production of purine catabolites indicates that adenine nucleotides are degraded into purine in ischemic lungs. The sum of the cellular contents of adenine nucleotides and purine catabolites remained almost constant in a range 12.8 to 13.9 μmol/g dry weight. 2) Intracellular ATP returned to normal when air was supplied through the air way to ischemic deflated rat lungs. 3) The content of purine compounds in bronchoalveolar fluid was 28 to 38% of that in ischemic rat lung tissue. The intracellular total adenine nucleotide content could be calculated from the concentration of purine compounds in the bronchoalveolar fluid of ischemic lungs. In the future it may be possible to determine the relation between biochemical changes and pulmonary function after lung transplantation.
