Intraperitoneal oxygen microbubble therapy: A novel approach to enhance systemic oxygenation in a smoke inhalation model of acute hypoxic respiratory failure.

Background: Patients suffering from severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) face limited therapeutic options and alarmingly high mortality rates. Refractory hypoxemia, a hallmark of ARDS, often necessitates invasive and high-risk treatments. Oxygen microbubbles (OMB) present a promising approach for extrapulmonary oxygenation, potentially augmenting systemic oxygen levels without exposing patients to significant risks. Methods: Rats with severe, acute hypoxemia secondary to wood smoke inhalation (SI) received intraperitoneal (IP) bolus injections of escalating weight-by-volume (BW/V) OMB doses or normal saline to determine optimal dosage and treatment efficacy. Subsequently, a 10 % BW/V OMB bolus or saline was administered to a group of SI rats and a control group of healthy rats (SHAM). Imaging, vital signs, and laboratory studies were compared at baseline, post-smoke inhalation, and post-treatment. Histological examination and lung tissue wet/dry weight ratios were assessed at study conclusion. Results: Treatment with various OMB doses in SI-induced acute hypoxemia revealed that a 10 % BW/V OMB dose significantly augmented systemic oxygen levels while minimizing dose volume. The second set of studies demonstrated a significant increase in partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2) and normalization of heart rate with OMB treatment in the SI group compared to saline treatment or control group treatment. Conclusions: This study highlights the successful augmentation of systemic oxygenation following OMB treatment in a small animal model of severe hypoxemia. OMB therapy emerges as a novel and promising treatment modality with immense translational potential for oxygenation support in acute care settings.

Colonic oxygen microbubbles augment systemic oxygenation and CO2 removal in a porcine smoke inhalation model of severe hypoxia.

Inhalation injury can lead to pulmonary complications resulting in the development of respiratory distress and severe hypoxia. Respiratory distress is one of the major causes of death in critically ill patients with a reported mortality rate of up to 45%. The present study focuses on the effect of oxygen microbubble (OMB) infusion via the colon in a porcine model of smoke inhalation-induced lung injury. Juvenile female Duroc pigs (n = 6 colonic OMB, n = 6 no treatment) ranging from 39 to 51 kg in weight were exposed to smoke under general anesthesia for 2 h. Animals developed severe hypoxia 48 h after smoke inhalation as reflected by reduction in SpO2 to 66.3 ± 13.1% and PaO2 to 45.3 ± 7.6 mmHg, as well as bilateral diffuse infiltrates demonstrated on chest X-ray. Colonic OMB infusion (75-100 mL/kg dose) resulted in significant improvements in systemic oxygenation as demonstrated by an increase in PaO2 of 13.2 ± 4.7 mmHg and SpO2 of 15.2 ± 10.0% out to 2.5 h, compared to no-treatment control animals that experienced a decline in PaO2 of 8.2 ± 7.9 mmHg and SpO2 of 12.9 ± 18.7% over the same timeframe. Likewise, colonic OMB decreased PaCO2 and PmvCO2 by 19.7 ± 7.6 mmHg and 7.6 ± 6.7 mmHg, respectively, compared to controls that experienced increases in PaCO2 and PmvCO2 of 17.9 ± 11.7 mmHg and 18.3 ± 11.2 mmHg. We conclude that colonic delivery of OMB therapy has potential to treat patients experiencing severe hypoxemic respiratory failure.

Rat model of smoke inhalation-induced acute lung injury.

BACKGROUND: Acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a lethal disease with limited therapeutic options and an unacceptably high mortality rate. Understanding the complex pathophysiological processes involved in the development of ALI/ARDS is critical for developing novel therapeutic strategies. Smoke inhalation (SI) injury is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with burn-associated ALI/ARDS; however, to our knowledge few reliable, reproducible models are available for pure SI animal model to investigate therapeutic options for ALI/ARDS without the confounding variables introduced by cutaneous burn or other pathology. OBJECTIVE: To develop a small animal model of pure SI-induced ALI and to use this model for eventual testing of novel therapeutics for ALI. METHODS: Rats were exposed to smoke using a custom-made smoke generator. Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), heart rate, arterial blood gas, and chest X-ray (CXR) were measured before and after SI. Wet/dry weight (W/D) ratio, lung injury score and immunohistochemical staining of cleaved caspase 3 were performed on harvested lung tissues of healthy and SI animals. RESULTS: The current study demonstrates the induction of ALI in rats after SI as reflected by a significant, sustained decrease in SpO2 and the development of diffuse bilateral pulmonary infiltrates on CXR. Lung tissue of animals exposed to SI showed increased inflammation, oedema and apoptosis as reflected by the increase in W/D ratio, injury score and cleaved caspase 3 level of the harvested tissues compared with healthy animals. CONCLUSION: We have successfully developed a small animal model of pure SI-induced ALI. This model is offered to the scientific community as a reliable model of isolated pulmonary SI-induced injury without the confounding variables of cutaneous injury or other systemic pathology to be used for study of novel therapeutics or other investigation.

A novel large animal model of smoke inhalation-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is multifactorial and can result from sepsis, trauma, or pneumonia, amongst other primary pathologies. It is one of the major causes of death in critically ill patients with a reported mortality rate up to 45%. The present study focuses on the development of a large animal model of smoke inhalation-induced ARDS in an effort to provide the scientific community with a reliable, reproducible large animal model of isolated toxic inhalation injury-induced ARDS. METHODS: Animals (n = 21) were exposed to smoke under general anesthesia for 1 to 2 h (median smoke exposure = 0.5 to 1 L of oak wood smoke) after the ultrasound-guided placement of carotid, pulmonary, and femoral artery catheters. Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), vital signs, and ventilator parameters were monitored throughout the procedure. Chest x-ray, carotid, femoral and pulmonary artery blood samples were collected before, during, and after smoke exposure. Animals were euthanized and lung tissue collected for analysis 48 h after smoke inhalation. RESULTS: Animals developed ARDS 48 h after smoke inhalation as reflected by a decrease in SpO2 by approximately 31%, PaO2/FiO2 ratio by approximately 208 (50%), and development of bilateral, diffuse infiltrates on chest x-ray. Study animals also demonstrated a significant increase in IL-6 level, lung tissue injury score and wet/dry ratio, as well as changes in other arterial blood gas (ABG) parameters. CONCLUSIONS: This study reports, for the first time, a novel large animal model of isolated smoke inhalation-induced ARDS without confounding variables such as cutaneous burn injury. Use of this unique model may be of benefit in studying the pathophysiology of inhalation injury or for development of novel therapeutics.

Identification of a novel TGFß/PKA signaling transduceome in mediating control of cell survival and metastasis in colon cancer.

BACKGROUND: Understanding drivers for metastasis in human cancer is important for potential development of therapies to treat metastases. The role of loss of TGFß tumor suppressor activities in the metastatic process is essentially unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Utilizing in vitro and in vivo techniques, we have shown that loss of TGFß tumor suppressor signaling is necessary to allow the last step of the metastatic process - colonization of the metastatic site. This work demonstrates for the first time that TGFß receptor reconstitution leads to decreased metastatic colonization. Moreover, we have identified a novel TGFß/PKA tumor suppressor pathway that acts directly on a known cell survival mechanism that responds to stress with the survivin/XIAP dependent inhibition of caspases that effect apoptosis. The linkage between the TGFß/PKA transduceome signaling and control of metastasis through induction of cell death was shown by TGFß receptor restoration with reactivation of the TGFß/PKA pathway in receptor deficient metastatic colon cancer cells leading to control of aberrant cell survival. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This work impacts our understanding of the possible mechanisms that are critical to the growth and maintenance of metastases as well as understanding of a novel TGFß function as a metastatic suppressor. These results raise the possibility that regeneration of attenuated TGFß signaling would be an effective target in the treatment of metastasis. Our work indicates the clinical potential for developing anti-metastasis therapy based on inhibition of this very important aberrant cell survival mechanism by the multifaceted TGFß/PKA transduceome induced pathway. Development of effective treatments for metastatic disease is a pressing need since metastases are the major cause of death in solid tumors.