Normobaric pulmonary oxygen toxicity : experimental studies on the mechanism of the protective role of endotoxin and the role of surfactant.

Administration of above-ambient oxygen tensions, necessary for treatment of severe hypoxemia caused by respiratory failure or acute lung injury, is potentially toxic for the lungs. This thesis is based on six articles dealing with this topic: one review article and five articles describing original experimental work. The literature review (Chapter 1) aims to put the five original studies in a broader perspective. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 are based on studies to analyze endotoxin's mechanism of action: endotoxin is reported, in rats, to be the most effective pharmacologic agent for increasing oxygen tolerance. Working under the supervision of Professor Dr. B. Lachmann, one of the leading experts on the pulmonary surfactant system, Chapters 5 and 6 investigate the role of surfa.ctant in pulmonary oxygen toxicity. Although the five original studies have their own Discussion and Conclusion sections, some aspects are elaborated upon in the literature review (Chapter 1) and, consequently, there is no separate Discussion chapter in this thesis