Nitric oxide inhalation and glucocorticoids as combined treatment in human experimental endotoxemia.

Objective: Inhaled nitric oxide and glucocorticoids as a combination therapy may attenuate endotoxin-induced inflammatory responses in humans as indicated by levels of cytokines and clinical signs. Since other authors have shown that combined inhaled nitric oxide and steroids improved the histologic damage both in pulmonary and systemic organs in a porcine endotoxin model, we examined if an anti-inflammatory interaction could be demonstrated in humans.

Design: Double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled randomized study.