Lipopolysaccharide protection from oxygen toxicity: effect on rat pulmonary selectins.

Sublethal doses of LPS result in increased tolerance to high concentrations of oxygen and this is associated with decreased pulmonary inflammation in a rat model. To investigate the mechanism of decreased neutrophil influx into the lung in this model, we measured levels of mRNA in the lung for the endothelial adhesion molecules, E-selectin and P-selectin. Immunostaining for E-selectin protein was also done in rat lungs, as well as measurement of soluble L-selectin in the blood.