Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “bleomycin”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 559 records · Page 31Linked to original sources

Bleomycin-induced chromosome breaks as a risk marker for lung cancer: a case-control study with population and hospital controls.

Environmental exposure to carcinogens and individual susceptibility play significant roles in cancer risk. Suboptimal DNA repair capability, measured by quantifying mutagen-induced chromosome breaks, might explain variable host susceptibility to environmental carcinogens. In an ongoing lung cancer case-control study, we compared individual sensitivity to bleomycin-induced chromosome breaks in 152 non-small cell lung cancer patients with 94 population controls and 85 hospital controls with no history of cancer. Mutagen sensitivity was measured by mean number of chromatid breaks per cell in cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes treated with bleomycin. Non-parametric tests and chi(2) tests were used to determine the statistical significance of the crude case-control comparisons, followed by logistic regression to adjust for important covariates. The mean number of bleomycin-induced breaks per cell was 1.01 for the cases compared with 0.86 for hospital controls (P < 0.01) and 0.89 for population controls (P < 0.01). The mean number of breaks per cell was 1.01 for those >65 years old and 0.81 for those < or = 65 years old (P < 0.01) among population controls. Defining bleomycin sensitive as >0.84 break/cell (the median level in population controls), 67% of the cases were bleomycin sensitive compared with 49% of the hospital controls [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.44, 5.04], and 51% of the population controls (adjusted OR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.13, 4.21). Our data indicate that the increased number of bleomycin-induced chromosome breaks was significantly associated with an increased risk of lung cancer in the first 331 subjects.

Aged↗

Effects of nucleoside triphosphates and ferrous ions on bleomycin-induced unscheduled DNA synthesis.

Bleomycin-induced, unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) in Triton X-100-permeabilized mouse ascites sarcoma cells was enhanced 2- to 5-fold by addition of ribonucleoside triphosphates at 0.2-2.0 mM and 1.5- to 3-fold by addition of ferrous ions at 10 microM. Sensitivity to deferoxamine, a specific iron chelator, suggested that iron was essential to nucleotide-enhanced, bleomycin-induced UDS. Enhancement by nucleotides was not attributed to iron impurities in the nucleotide preparations, because ferrous ions did not substitute for nucleotides, but nucleotides further enhanced bleomycin-induced UDS which was maximally stimulated by the optimal concentration of ferrous ions. The effects of nucleotides and ferrous ions on bleomycin-induced UDS were thought to be due to increased bleomycin-induced DNA damage rather than enhanced DNA synthesis. The results suggest that pharmacological action of bleomycin is affected by the concentrations of nucleotides as well as ferrous ions.

Animals↗

DNA repair synthesis in bleomycin-pretreated permeable HeLa cells.

To establish an in vitro system for studying DNA repair, bleomycin-induced unscheduled DNA synthesis in permeable HeLa cells was investigated. Permeable HeLa cells were incubated at 0 degree C for 60 min with 0.11 mM bleomycin, washed to remove free bleomycin and assayed for DNA synthesis. Optimum [3H]deoxythymidine monophosphate incorporation occurred at pH 7.6-8.0 (adjusted at 20 degrees C with Tris-HCl buffer), 3-6 mM MgCl2, 40-60 mM NaCl, and 2.5-5 mM ATP in the presence of four deoxynucleoside triphosphates. The unscheduled nature of DNA synthesis in bleomycin-pretreated permeable cells was confirmed by the BrdUMP density shift technique. Exonuclease III sensitivity of repaired DNA was measured to determine whether or not the completion of repair patches and ligation occurred in bleomycin-pretreated permeable cells. Gap-filling and ligation were suggested to occur in the presence of ATP. Studies using the selective inhibitors (aphidicolin, 2',3'-dideoxythymidine 5'-triphosphate and N-ethylmaleimide) for DNA synthesis showed that DNA polymerases alpha and beta were involved in the repair process. Inhibitor studies suggested that DNA polymerase alpha plays a preferential role in repair label in the intranucleosomal region of nuclear chromatin and DNA polymerase beta in the completion of repair patches in bleomycin-pretreated permeable cells.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Extreme cytotoxicity and susceptibility to hprt mutagenesis in Ku-deficient xrs-6 cells treated with bleomycin in plateau phase.

In an attempt to determine the possible role of Ku-dependent end joining in mutagenesis resulting from DNA double-strand breaks, mutations induced by bleomycin at the hprt locus in plateau phase normal CHO-K1 and Ku-deficient xrs-6 cells were examined. Plateau phase xrs-6 cells were 500-fold more sensitive to chronic bleomycin treatment than were CHO-K1 cells. XRCC4-deficient XR-1 cells were approximately 100-fold and DNA-PKcs-deficient XR-C1 and V-3 cells 15- to 30-fold more sensitive than CHO-K1 cells. These hypersensitivities are much greater than those previously reported for acute treatments with bleomycin or ionizing radiation. While the induced mutation frequencies at comparable levels of survival were slightly lower in xrs-6 cells, mutations were induced by bleomycin at much lower concentrations in xrs-6 than in CHO-K1 cells. For both cell lines bleomycin treatment resulted in a marked increase in the incidence of complete hprt deletions, while point mutations in hprt cDNA were rare. The results suggest that bleomycin-induced double-strand breaks tend to generate very large deletions in both cell lines and that this effect occurs at much lower levels of double-strand breaks in Ku-deficient than in normal cells.

Animals↗

MEK inhibition enhances bleomycin A5-induced apoptosis in an oral cancer cell line: signaling mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities.

BACKGROUND: Bleomycin A5 is an anti-neoplastic glycoprotein antibiotic used for the treatment of various cancers. Previous work has shown that bleomycin A5 exerts its apoptotic effects on tumor cells. This was to study the signal transduction pathways that might exert the apoptotic effects of bleomycin A5 on tumor cells, as well as to examine the possibility of lower dosing of such drug in combinative treatment with other compounds in vitro. METHODS: Bleomycin A5 was applied on a human oral epidermoid carcinoma cell line, human oral epidermoid carcinoma (KB), and the apoptotic activity was determined by the presence of DNA fragmentation and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) nuclear staining. The signal transduction pathway was measured through Western blotting and in vitro kinase assay. RESULTS: The apoptotic effect was associated with the sustained activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and the inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinases1 (ERK1) and -2 activities, suggesting that JNK plays a positive role in the death process. ERK1 and -2 might exert a protection pathway from cell death. Here, it was determined that a combination treatment of bleomycin A5 and the MAP kinase-ERK kinase (MEK) inhibitor, PD98059, could lead to enhanced apoptosis. The activities of ERK1 and -2 are required for cell survival signaling using stable cell clones expressing MEK1. Upon bleomycin A5 treatment, cells expressing MEK1 exhibited significant delays in the onset of apoptosis, where the presence of MEK1 inhibitor enhanced cell death. Moreover, the increased activity of ERK1 and -2 coincided with cell survival. The survival signals exerted by MEK1 most likely result from the activation of ERK1 and -2. CONCLUSIONS: The apoptosis enhancement through such combinative treatment in vitro has revealed new therapeutic opportunities and elucidated mechanisms contributing to the efficacy of existing anti-cancer treatments.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic↗

Hepoxilin analogs inhibit bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in the mouse.

Bleomycin has been suggested to incite plasma extravasation and influx of inflammatory cells leading to pulmonary fibrosis. We hypothesized that stable analogs of the 12-lipoxygenase product, hepoxilin, may attenuate these effects. We initially investigated the effects of the four hepoxilin analogs (PBT-1 to -4) coadministered intradermally with bleomycin and found that PBT-1 and -2 significantly opposed the vascular permeability effects of bleomycin in rat skin. We subsequently tested the hepoxilin analogs for their actions in opposing the intratracheal bleomycin-evoked acute inflammatory phase of lung fibrosis in the mouse, characterized by a marked accumulation of macrophages and an increase in the rate of collagen synthesis and deposition. We found that the bleomycin-evoked effects on macrophage influx were inhibited by all the hepoxilin analogs (PBT-1, -3, and -4 > PBT-2) administered i.p. for 8 days. Increased total lung collagen was completely abrogated by PBT-1 and -2, whereas PBT-3 and -4 had little effect. A dose-response study with PBT-1 indicated that the effective dose for inhibition of bleomycin-induced inflammatory and histological changes was below 10 microg/day. These studies demonstrate an in vivo action of stable analogs of hepoxilin and support an effect on inflammation and vascular permeability from these novel compounds, especially for PBT-1.

8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid↗

Role of extracellular superoxide dismutase in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Bleomycin administration results in well-described intracellular oxidative stress that can lead to pulmonary fibrosis. The role of alveolar interstitial antioxidants in this model is unknown. Extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) is the primary endogenous extracellular antioxidant enzyme and is abundant in the lung. We hypothesized that EC-SOD plays an important role in attenuating bleomycin-induced lung injury. Two weeks after intratracheal bleomycin administration, we found that wild-type mice induced a 106 +/- 25% increase in lung EC-SOD. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that a large increase in EC-SOD occurred in injured lung. Using mice that overexpress EC-SOD specifically in the lung, we found a 53 +/- 14% reduction in bleomycin-induced lung injury assessed histologically and a 17 +/- 6% reduction in lung collagen content 2 wk after bleomycin administration. We conclude that EC-SOD plays an important role in reducing the magnitude of lung injury from extracellular free radicals after bleomycin administration.

Animals↗

A p38 MAPK inhibitor, FR-167653, ameliorates murine bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

To elucidate the pathophysiology of pulmonary fibrosis, we investigated the involvement of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), which is one of the major signal transduction pathways of proinflammatory cytokines, in a murine model of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. p38 MAPK and its substrate, activating transcription factor (ATF)-2, in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cells were phosphorylated by intratracheal exposure of bleomycin, and the phosphorylation of ATF-2 was inhibited by subcutaneous administration of a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK, FR-167653. FR-167653 also inhibited augmented expression of tumor necrosis factor -alpha, connective tissue growth factor, and apoptosis of lung cells induced by bleomycin administration. Moreover, daily subcutaneous administration of FR-167653 (from 1 day before to 14 days after bleomycin administration) ameliorated pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary cachexia induced by bleomycin. These findings demonstrated that p38 MAPK is involved in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, and its inhibitor, FR-167653, may be a feasible therapeutic agent.

Activating Transcription Factor 2↗

Induction of tenascin in rat lungs undergoing bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Lung injury induced by bleomycin is associated with early inflammation and subsequent excessive deposition of extracellular matrix. In the present study, we investigated the expression of extracellular matrix glycoprotein tenascin (TN) during pulmonary injury induced by bleomycin. After the initial lung injury induced by intratracheal bleomycin instillation, TN and collagen type III (COL III) mRNAs were greatly induced. The pattern of induction of TN was distinct from that of COL III. TN was primarily induced during the early inflammatory phase, whereas the increase in COL III synthesis continued during the reparative phase. The induction and localization of TN mRNA during bleomycin-induced pulmonary injury were also examined by in situ hybridization. TN mRNA was focally induced in rat lungs 3 days after bleomycin administration. Induction of TN mRNA was spatially restricted in the areas of tissue inflammation. The interstitial cells in alveolar septal walls and secondary septal tips in the areas of tissue damage were the major source of TN mRNA production. Expression of TN mRNA was decreased as the inflammation attenuated and development of fibrosis proceeded. Immunocytochemical analyses of TN protein distribution in the lung yielded corroborative results. Immunoreactive TN protein was found in a patchy distribution in alveolar septal walls and secondary septal tips in the areas of damaged tissues. This study demonstrated that TN is a unique early-response extracellular matrix component to bleomycin-induced pulmonary injury and is induced at the sites of the inflammation, suggesting a potential role of TN as a modulator of pulmonary inflammation and repair.

Animals↗

Bleomycin stimulates lung epithelial cells to release neutrophil and monocyte chemotactic activities.

Although bleomycin, an antineoplastic drug, is used in the treatment of a variety of tumors, the mechanisms of bleomycin-induced lung injury and fibrosis are not fully elucidated. We postulated that bleomycin might stimulate A549 cells, a type II pneumocyte cell line, to release neutrophil and monocyte chemotactic activities (NCA and MCA, respectively). To test this hypothesis, A549 cell supernatant fluids were harvested and evaluated for NCA and MCA. A549 cell supernatant fluids showed NCA and MCA in response to bleomycin in a dose- and time-dependent manner (P < 0.05). Checkerboard analysis revealed that both NCA and MCA were predominantly chemotactic. Partial characterization of the released NCA and MCA showed that the activities were partially heat labile, trypsin digested, and predominantly ethyl acetate extractable. Lipoxygenase inhibitors and cycloheximide inhibited the release of chemotactic activities significantly. Molecular-sieve column chromatography revealed that the released activities were heterogeneous. However, low-molecular-weight activity was prominent. Leukotriene B4-receptor antagonist, anti-interleukin-8, anti-granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and anti-monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 antibodies attenuated the chemotactic activities. Immunoreactive leukotriene B4 receptor, interleukin-8, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 significantly increased in supernatant fluids in response to bleomycin. These data demonstrate that bleomycin stimulates type II epithelial cells to release chemotactic activities and plays a role in inflammatory cell recruitment into the lung.

Antimetabolites↗

Role of diminished epithelial GM-CSF in the pathogenesis of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Evidence derived from human and animal studies strongly supports the notion that dysfunctional alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) play a central role in determining the progression of inflammatory injury to pulmonary fibrosis. We formed the hypothesis that impaired production of the regulatory cytokine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) by injured AECs plays a role in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. To test this hypothesis, we used the well-characterized model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. GM-CSF mRNA is expressed at a constant high level in the lungs of untreated or saline-challenged animals. In contrast, there is a consistent reduction in expression of GM-CSF mRNA in the lung during the first week after bleomycin injury. Bleomycin-treated rats given neutralizing rabbit anti-rat GM-CSF IgG develop increased fibrosis. Type II AECs isolated from rats after bleomycin injury demonstrate diminished expression of GM-CSF mRNA immediately after isolation and in response to stimulation in vitro with endotoxin compared with that in normal type II cells. These data demonstrate a defect in the ability of type II epithelial cells from bleomycin-treated rats to express GM-CSF mRNA and a protective role for GM-CSF in the pathogenesis of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Animals↗

Effect of immunomodulators on bleomycin-induced lung injury.

BACKGROUND: The role of lymphocytes and their subpopulations in lung fibrosis is as yet unclear. OBJECTIVE: To define the role of immunomodulation in bleomycin-induced inflammatory fibrotic lung injury, by testing the effect of two known Th1 inhibitors: linomide and pentoxifylline. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were treated by a single intratracheal instillation of 0.06 mg bleomycin in 0.01 ml saline or saline alone. Treatment groups included: (1) intratracheal bleomycin and daily treatment with linomide or pentoxifylline; (2) intratracheal bleomycin and daily water; (3) intratracheal saline and daily linomide or pentoxifylline; (4) intratracheal saline and daily water. Linomide and pentoxifylline were available per os in the drinking water from 1 day prior to intratracheal instillation. Animals were studied 14 days after intratracheal instillation. Lung injury was evaluated by total and differential cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, by a semiquantitative morphological index of lung injury and a quantitative image analysis of cellularity, fibrosis fraction and alveolar wall area fraction, and by biochemical analysis of lung hydroxyproline content. RESULTS: Linomide or pentoxifylline did not cause any lung injury in saline-treated control mice. Overt signs of lung injury were apparent in bleomycin-treated mice. These changes were not affected by daily treatment with linomide or pentoxifylline, which were given in the highest tolerable dose. CONCLUSION: This study does not support the use of linomide or pentoxifylline to prevent or ameliorate lung fibrosis and may suggest that drug-induced differentiation of T lymphocytes into Th1/th2 subpopulations does not affect the evolution of bleomycin-induced lung injury.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

Intratumoral therapy with bleomycin for cystic craniopharyngiomas in children.

Surgical removal of cystic craniopharyngiomas in children is associated with significant operative morbidity and recurrence rates. The purpose of this study was to review our experience with a less invasive therapy, namely, intratumoral bleomycin, in the treatment of predominantly cystic craniopharyngiomas. All children with craniopharyngiomas treated at a tertiary care pediatric neurosurgical center since 1994, when bleomycin was first used, were reviewed retrospectively. Seven patients received intratumoral bleomycin therapy. Patients received 2-5 mg bleomycin per dose, 3 times per week, for 3-5 weeks as an initial course. Mean follow-up of these patients was 3 years. In 4 patients, treatment resulted in a significant decrease (>50%) in tumor size, which has remained stable. Two patients' tumors progressed and underwent resection, and 1 patient had surgical removal because of persistent headaches, although no growth of residual tumor had been noted. One patient developed peritumoral edema as a result of bleomycin therapy. Intratumoral bleomycin is a useful alternative therapy for cystic craniopharyngiomas, and may control tumor growth and delay potentially harmful resection and/or radiotherapy in young children.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic↗

Upregulation of interleukin-13 and its receptor in a murine model of bleomycin-induced scleroderma.

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-13 (IL-13) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of fibrotic conditions. Previously, a murine model for scleroderma has been established by repeated local injections of bleomycin. This animal model enabled us to study local expression and production of IL-13 in skin lesions during disease progression. METHODS: Dermal sclerosis (DSc) was induced by repeated subcutaneous injections of bleomycin (1 mg/ml) in C3H/HeJ mice. IL-13 and IL-4 expressions were examined by RT-PCR, ELISA and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: RT-PCR showed that both IL-4 and IL-13 mRNA levels in skin lesions were increased and peaked after 4 weeks of bleomycin treatment. Quantification by densitometry revealed up to 4.2- and 1.9-fold increases, respectively. Immunohistochemical localization showed in skin lesions expression of IL-13 on infiltrating inflammatory cells, including mononuclear cells and possibly mast cells, increased with DSc progression. IL-13 protein production was also significantly increased. In skin lesions, IL-13 receptor (IL-13R) alpha2 expression was augmented mainly in the infiltrating mononuclear cells after 4 weeks of bleomycin exposure. IL-13Ralpha2, but not IL-13Ralpha1, mRNA was upregulated in the whole skin after 4 weeks. On the contrary, mRNA expression of IL-13Ralpha1 and IL- 13Ralpha2 was significantly altered in the cultured fibroblasts derived from bleomycin-treated skin. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that in skin lesions levels of IL-13 as well as its receptor increase in parallel with DSc progression, suggesting that IL-13 promotes the progression of cutaneous fibrosis/sclerosis in the murine model of bleomycin-induced scleroderma.

Animals↗

A simple technique to manage malignant pericardial effusion with a local instillation of bleomycin in non-small cell carcinoma of the lung.

To examine the efficacy of bleomycin on the local control of malignant pericardial effusion, we prospectively conducted a clinical trial consisting of continuous pericardial drainage and a local instillation of bleomycin. In the current study, we treated 7 patients, who suffered from malignant pericardial effusion with cardiac tamponade due to advanced-stage non-small cell carcinoma of the lung. The pericardial effusions were continuously drained through an echo-guided inserted catheter. After the effusions were drained as completely as possible, 5 mg of bleomycin were instilled locally via the catheter. In all patients but one, the draining catheter could be successfully removed. The duration of drainage ranged from 4 to 13 days (mean: 9.2 days). Five of the 7 patients achieved a complete remission of pericardial effusions, which was maintained until death or the last day of follow-up. Intrapericardial bleomycin treatment was thus found to be effective on malignant pericardial effusions without any adverse effects. However, a further study comparing the effect of pericardial instillation of bleomycin versus drainage alone would be needed for the determination of the usefulness of bleomycin.

Aged↗

Deferoxamine infusion does not inhibit bleomycin-induced lung damage in the rat.

It has been proposed that the pneumonitis and subsequent lung fibrosis induced by bleomycin occurs when bleomycin is complexed with ferrous iron and oxygen. In order to see whether chelation of free iron reduced tissue damage induced by intratracheal bleomycin, deferoxamine (DFO) was administered by continuous subcutaneous infusion to overcome its rapid renal excretion. Thirty-three rats received DFO and 30 rats received an equivalent volume of saline by 7-day infusion pumps. Three days after commencement of infusion, half of each group received intratracheal bleomycin, the remainder received intratracheal saline. Three weeks after intratracheal injection, the rats were killed and their lungs were removed for histologic and morphometric assessment and collagen estimation. When compared with animals given intratracheal saline, both bleomycin-treated groups had significant evidence of lung toxicity, but DFO was not protective. Similarly, DFO infusion did not reduce the elevation in collagen concentration (bleomycin/saline, 49 +/- 3.6; bleomycin/DFO, 49.8 +/- 4.1; saline/saline, 39.6 +/- 3.9; saline/DFO, 43.4 +/- 3.8 mg.g-1 wet lung weight) or total lung collagen (bleomycin/saline, 29.9 +/- 6.3; bleomycin/DFO, 33.7 +/- 1.8; saline/saline, 15.5 +/- 2.2; saline/DFO, 17.8 +/- 1.9 mg.left lung-1) induced by bleomycin. This lack of effect was not due to iron contamination of the DFO in the pump or to loss of chelation capacity of DFO, at least for as long as 6 days after pump implantation. No DFO was detected in homogenized lung tissue (limits of detection of assay was 8 x 10(-5) M).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Solute movement across the alveolar-capillary membrane after intratracheally administered bleomycin in rats.

The rate of absorption across the alveolar-capillary membrane of inhaled 99mTc-DTPA and the concentration of albumin in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were characterized in a rat model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Adult male Lewis rats were studied from 1 h to 120 days after a single intratracheal instillation of bleomycin (0.5 to 0.6 U/100 g body weight). The retention of 99mTc-DTPA in the lungs, expressed as a percentage of the baseline radioactivity, was determined at 15 min (%R15) after delivery of the tracer. The %R15 was 83.7 +/- 6.0 for normal untreated rats and 84.3 +/- 3.7 for saline-treated animals. The rate of absorption of 99mTc-DTPA began to increase 24 h after bleomycin, reaching a maximum at Day 7, with %R15 = 56.0 +/- 6.5 (p less than 0.0001). Resolution to control values occurred by Day 34 after bleomycin. At Day 45 after bleomycin, the rate of absorption of 99mTc-DTPA was slower than sham (control), with %R15 = 89.2 +/- 1.9 (p less than 0.5). However, from Day 63 onwards, removal was not different from control. The concentration of albumin in the BAL fluid began to increase 48 h after bleomycin, was 10-fold greater than control by Day 7 (150 +/- 38 versus 16 +/- 3 micrograms/ml), and returned to control values by Day 28. The percentage of neutrophils in the BAL increased at 12 h, reached a plateau of 33 +/- 9% between 4 and 7 days, and then returned to control values by Day 14.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Absorption↗

Prevention of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in the hamster by cis-4-hydroxy-l-proline.

We investigated the effect of the proline analogue cis-hydroxyproline on pulmonary fibrosis produced by intratracheal administration of bleomycin in hamsters. Two groups of animals received a single dose of bleomycin; one of these groups was also injected with cis-hydroxyproline twice daily for 30 days. Control animals received intratracheal saline. Lungs were examined on day 30. In the bleomycin group, the collagen content of lungs was 131% of the control value (p less than 0.05). Administration of cis-hydroxyproline decreased collagen accumulation to 114% of the control value (p less than 0.05). Pressure-volume curves were significantly shifted downward and to the right of control in the bleomycin group; this shift was partially prevented by cis-hydroxyproline. Morphometric studies showed that alveolar walls comprised 15% of the lung parenchyma in the control group and 19% in the bleomycin group (p less than 0.05). Administration of cis-hydroxyproline significantly decreased alveolar walls to 16% of the lung parenchyma (p less than 0.05). We conclude that cis-hydroxyproline partially prevents the chemical, structural, and functional changes of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in the hamster.

Animals↗