Alveolar cells in cyclophosphamide-induced lung injury. II. Pathogenesis of experimental endogenous lipid pneumonia

S. Sulkowski and M. Sulkowska

Department of Pathological Anatomy, Medical University of Bialystok, Poland

Offprint requests to: Dr. Stanislaw Sulkowski, Department of Pathological Anatomy, Medical University of Bialystok, ul. Waszyngtona 13, PL 15-269 Bialystok 8, Poland. Fax 004885 420280. e-mail: sulek@amb.ac.bialystok.pl

Summary. An ultrastructural and histological study was made to analyse the structural and cellular features of the pulmonary lesions produced in Wistar rats by intra-peritoneal (i.p.) administration of cyclophosphamide (two i.p. doses of 150 mg CP/1 kg bw/1 ml PBS). Rats exposed to cyclophosphamide (CP) developed a condition whose morphological picture corresponded to endogenous lipid pneumonia and/or pulmonary alveolar proteinosis-like changes. Damage to the endothelium and neutrophil accumulation in lung vascular bed were found to be potential initiators of endogenous lipid pneumonia-type changes. The possibility of the evolution of the acute lung injury into endogenous lipid pneumonia-type changes and into alveolar proteinosis-like changes was demonstrated. The results of the study supplement the existing theories of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis pathogenesis. Histol. Histopathol. 14, 1145-1152 (1999)

Key words: Lung damage, Cyclophosphamide, Ultrastructure

DOI: 10.14670/HH-14.1145