This process can be up- or down-regulated, implying an increased or diminished clearance of alveolar fluid. Studies have demonstrated that net vectorial fluid transport is reduced in human alveolar epithelial cells type II (AEC II) in ALI [23]. Patients suffering from ALI/ARDS most often need to be ventilated mechanically, and therefore remain sedated in intensive see more care units (ICU) [24]. The overall effect of sedatives and anaesthetics – volatile anaesthetics included – on this disease is unclear. As demonstrated previously, the inflammatory response upon endotoxin stimulation in

AEC is partly reversible in the presence of sevoflurane [25]. In an in-vivo model of ALI oxygenation improved in the presence of sevoflurane [26].

However, at the same time volatile anaesthetics are suspected to impair sodium transport [27]. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of the nowadays commonly used volatile anaesthetic sevoflurane on ENaC and Na+/K+-ATPase in vitro and in vivo. Based on previous in-vitro and in-vivo results with a positive effect of sevoflurane [26], the hypothesis was raised that click here in-vitro activity of ENaC and Na+/K+-ATPase in endotoxin-injured AEC may be increased upon treatment with sevoflurane. Furthermore, an attempt was made to clarify the impact of sevoflurane on oedema in vivo in the endotoxin-induced lung injury model. An improved alveolar fluid clearance upon sevoflurane exposure was postulated. Alveolar epithelial cells type II (AECII).  The

L2 cell line (CCL 149; American Type Culture Collection, Rockville, MD, USA) was derived through cloning of adult female rat lung of AEC type II origin. Cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM; Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA), supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS; Invitrogen), 1% penicillin–streptomycin and 1% 4-(2-hydroxethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulphonic acid buffer (HEPES; Invitrogen). Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase They were grown for 3 days in uncoated plates (Corning Inc., Corning, NY, USA) to >95% confluence. Mixed alveolar epithelial cells (mAEC).  Primary AEC were harvested following an established protocol [28,29]. Briefly, lungs were explanted from male Wistar rats, injected with 10 ml of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) containing 4 U/ml porcine pancreas elastase (Sigma-Aldrich, Hamburg, Germany) and incubated for 20 min at 37°C. Trachea and large airways were discarded and lungs were minced. Elastase reaction was stopped with 5 ml FBS. After vigorous stirring for 20 min, cells were filtered and incubated for 1 h at 37°C in Petri dishes, coated previously with 1 mg/ml rat immunoglobulin (IgG) (Sigma-Aldrich) in PBS, in order to remove immunocompetent cells. Unattached cells were washed away, and the remaining cells were cultured in DMEM/10% FBS. After a 7-day incubation time, a mixture of type I and type II cells (mAEC) was found (Fig. 1).