Effects of protamine sulfate on the parameters of acute lung injury

Abstract

We investigated the effects of cationic protein, protamine sulfate, on pulmonary extravascular lung water and pulmonary capillary permeability in guinea pigs. Twenty mg/kg of protamine sulfate was injected intravenously followed by 5 mg/kg/hr continuous infusion. We used lung wet-dry weight ratio (W/D) as a parameter of extravascular lung water and ¹²⁵I- albumin lung tissue plasma ratio (albumin leak: AL) as a parameter of vascular permeability. Plasma total protein was decreased by 15 minutes after the protamine bolus injection and remained low until the end of the experiment. Hematocrit was increased by 60 minutes after protamine bolus and remained high. However, W/D and AL did not change significantly.
These findings suggest that protamine sulfate did not change pulmonary capillary permeability although it might increase systemic capillary permeability in guinea pigs.