Dexamethasone acutely accelerates pleural fluid absorption in mice hydrothoraces.

Abstract

This study assessed the effect of corticosteroid treatment in the clearance of hydrothoraces in mice. Twenty-four C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups and were injected intrapleurally with 500 microL sterilized PBS-BSA 1% to create isosmotic hydrothoraces. Two groups served as control and two groups were treated with dexamethasone. The control groups received intraperitoneally PBS, while the corticosteroid treatment groups received dexamethasone (1 mg/kg), both 5 min after the induction of hydrothorax. Control and treated animals were sacrificed 2 and 4 h after the induction of hydrothorax, and pleural fluid volume was measured. The pleural fluid volume 2 and 4 h after the induction of hydrothoraces was significantly lower in the dexamethasone-treated group compared to the untreated group. The rate of pleural fluid absorption 2 and 4 h after the induction of hydrothoraces was significantly higher in the dexamethasone-treated groups. The present study demonstrated that dexamethasone accelerates pleural fluid absorption in induced isosmotic hydrothoraces in mice. This newly reported property of dexamethasone may partly account for the clinical observation of faster resolution of pleural effusions when corticosteroids are administered in patients with pleural effusions of certain etiologies.

• Authors: Sotirios Zarogiannis, Ioannis Psallidas, Chrissi Hatzoglou, Konstantinos I Gourgoulianis, Ioannis Kalomenidis
• Journal: The journal of physiological sciences : JPS (J Physiol Sci) Vol. 60 Issue 4 Pg. 299-302 (Jul 2010) ISSN: 1880-6562 [Electronic] Japan
• PMID: 20383620 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Adrenal Cortex Hormones
• Dexamethasone

Topics

• Adrenal Cortex Hormones (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Animals
• Dexamethasone (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Hydrothorax (drug therapy)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Pleural Effusion (drug therapy)