Complement activation and membrane lipids in lung vascular injury.

Intravascular complement activation induces a rapid neutropenia and transient hypotension in laboratory animals such as rabbits. Injection of purified C5a causes similar hemodynamic events, and the hematologic changes suggest involvement of components such as polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) and mediators including vasoamines and prostanoids. The anaphylatoxin-induced hypotension coincided with an increase in central venous pressure (CVP), decreased cardiac output (CO), increased plasma prostanoid levels, and neutropenia. These phenomena were repeatable in the animals when C5a was administered as a bolus 45 min after the initial treatment. Animals pretreated with indomethacin failed to exhibit the hypotensive response to C5a but still exhibited the transient neutropenia. Indomethacin effectively eliminated prostanoid release into plasma as expected. Administration of H2, but not H1, histamine-receptor antagonists reduced both C5a-induced hypotension and prostanoid release, suggesting that histamine may contribute to the C5a response in rabbits. Animals rendered neutropenic with nitrogen mustard prior to C5a challenge respond normally to C5a infusion (i.e., elevated prostanoid release and hypotension). The mechanism that we proposed for C5a-induced hypotension requires vascular smooth muscle contraction to be predominant over peripheral vasodilation in affecting cardiac output. Neutropenia occurs as a parallel event to hypotension but seemingly has little influence on the hemodynamic response. Prostacyclin (PGI2) levels were elevated in C5a-treated animals, and this lipid mediator contributes to hypotension by enhancing peripheral vasodilation. Because plasma TGxB2, levels were also elevated and central venous pressure increased as cardiac output decreased in treatment animals, we concluded that thromboxane-dependent pulmonary vasoconstriction contributes significantly to the C5a hypotensive response.