Inhibition of alveolar Na transport and LPS causes hypoxemia and pulmonary arterial vasoconstriction in ventilated rats.

Oxygen diffusion across the alveolar wall is compromised by low alveolar oxygen but also by pulmonary edema, and leads to hypoxemia and hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV). To test, whether inhibition of alveolar fluid reabsorption results in an increased pulmonary arterial pressure and whether this effect enhances HPV, we established a model, where anesthetized rats were ventilated with normoxic (21% O) and hypoxic (13.5% O) gas received aerosolized amiloride and lipopolisaccharide (LPS) to inhibit alveolar fluid reabsorption.