The evaluation of quantity and distribution of murine pulmonary mast cells in experimental hemorrhagic shock.

Respiratory failure is one of the most serious clinical complications in the course of post-hemorrhagic changes. Cascade-like, systemic inflammatory reaction including the axis: intestines-liver-lung-immune system has a special significance in the pathogenesis of this syndrome. In order to broaden the knowledge of the respiratory insufficiency pathogenesis in hemorrhagic shock, the attempt was made to evaluate quantitatively rat mast cells localized under the pulmonary pleura, around the bronchi, around large vessels and placed in the interalveolar septa. The examinations were conducted on 24 young female Wistar rats, divided into two groups (n=12): (I) sham-operated and (II) shocked. The hemorrhagic shock was evoked by the withdrawal of 25% of the circulating blood. The shock duration was 75 min. The obtained lung sections were stained with toluidine blue and examined in a light microscope. After hemorrhagic shock, sections of lung samples revealed about two-fold increase in mast cell number/mm2 compared to controls. Mast cells were concentrated mostly around the bronchi and blood vessels. Hyperplasia and migration of mast cells may suggest their role in the modulation of inflammatory process causing acute lung injury in the hemorrhagic shock.