Cinetica dell’espressione polmonare del sistema endotelina nel modello suino di shock endotossico.

Endothelin (ET)-1 is a potent vasoconstrictor peptide involved in the derangement of respiratory mechanic during endotoxic shock. We measured the kinetic of pulmonary mRNA expression of the key components of the ET system (ET-1, ET-converting enzyme (ECE), ETA and ETB receptors) by Quantitative Real Time RT-PCR in a swine model of endotoxic shock (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 h of continuous LPS infusion - 40μg/Kg/hour; Sham group, 4 h saline infusion). Significative increase of expression levels were observed for ET-1 in LPS treated piglets; the increase started as early as 1 h. On the contrary no significant variations were observed for ECE, ETA and ETB genes. Small gene expression differences observed in respect to our previous results suggest a possible effect of the anesthesiological/surgical protocol on the ET system regulation.