Possible role of substance P in the ischemia-reperfusion injury in the isolated rabbit lung

The origin of the endothelial damage leading to the ischemia-reperfusion injury after lung transplantation has not been elucidated. We postulated that neurotransmitters released during the preservation of the donor lung might explain this vascular derangement. Thus, in isolated rabbit lungs preserved over 24 hours, we evaluated the release of acetylcholine (ACh) and substance P (SP), the activity of their major degrading enzymes, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and neutral endopeptidase (NEP), and changes in the capillary permeability. Both neurotransmitters showed the highest release rate in the first 15 minutes, followed by a sharp exponential decrement at 1, 6, 12 and 24 hours. AChE and NEP activities showed no variation at these time intervals. Basal capillary permeability significantly increased (P