Effect of Recombinant Human Thrombomodulin on Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury in Septic Rats

Background: High tidal ventilation with inflammation causes ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). We previously found that recombinant thrombomodulin (rTM) has a protective effect regarding non-septic VILI caused by high-tidal-volume (HV) ventilation with high oxygen levels. This study aimed to investigate the preventive effect of rTM on VILI caused by sepsis and HV ventilation. Methods: : A total of 46 adult male rats were subcutaneously administered either 3mg/kg of rTM or saline. Twelve hours later, the rats were underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). At 2 h after this procedure, the rats were placed on a ventilator set at either low tidal volume [(LV) 6 ml/kg] or high tidal volume (HV 35 ml/kg) ventilation for another 2 h. Results: : After 2 h of mechanical ventilation, the PaO 2 was significantly lower and BALF protein was significantly higher in HV rats than in LV rats. The rTM did not improve oxygenation or BALF protein levels. Also in HV rats, lung tissue interleukin-6 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 mRNA levels were significantly higher in the rTM-treated rats. Conclusion: rTM does not improve oxygenation in a non-DIC, CLP-pretreated, high-tidal-ventilation rat model.