Inhibition of collagen accumulation by glucocorticoids in rat lung after intratracheal bleomycin instillation.

Male Fischer 344 rats were given a single lung instillation of bleomycin sulfate (0.6 units/100 g). some animals were treated 24 hr after bleomycin administration with triamcinolone diacetate. Steroid treatment was continued on alternate days for 4 weeks. At the end of 4 weeks, the lungs of rats receiving bleomycin alone had two-fold increases of both prolyl hydroxylase activity and proteinaceous hydroxyproline as compared to control values. The lungs of bleomycin-treated rats which received 4 mg of triamcinolone diacetate per kg on alternate days had a 33% increase of prolyl hydroxylase activity and proteinaceous hydroxyproline content of bleomycin-treated animals receiving glucocorticoid (8 mg/kg) on alternate days were the same as control values. The results indicate that alternate day administration of the synthetic glucocorticoid triamcinolone diacetate blocks lung collagen accumulation following a single intratracheal dose of bleomycin to rats.