Solubility of inert gases in homogenates of canine lung tissue.

The solubility of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), ethane, cyclopropane, halothane, diethyl ether, and acetone in homogenates of dog lung tissue were measured and compared with values obtained in dog blood. The measurements were made to provide data for a method for determining distribution of ventilation, blood flow, and tissue volume (Physiologist 20: 95, 1977) and for reasons discussed, the blood was not washed from the tissue prior to homogenization. All gases except SF6 were significantly more soluble in blood than lung tissue, whereas SF6 was 3.7 times more soluble in tissue than blood. It was further found that SF6 is 5 times more soluble, and ethane is twice as soluble in tissue obtained from lungs containing blood than in tissue obtained from rinsed lungs, suggesting that measurements of parenchymal solubility made on tissue from sinsed lungs may be considerably in error for some lipid-soluble gases.