Effect of methylprednisolone on experimental noncardiogenic pulmonary edema.

Methylprednisolone, 30 mg/kg body weight, was given to dogs 30 min and 4 h after injection of monocrotaline to produce noncardiogenic pulmonary edema. Control animals received monocrotaline but not corticosteroids. After 6 h the steroid-treated animals demonstrated significantly butter gas exchange and significantly less pulmonary edema. A possible mechanism of this beneficial effect of steroids is inhibition of complement-leukocyte interactions which may mediate pulmonary microvascular injury. The results lend some support to the clinical practice of short-term pharmacologic doses of steroids in noncardiogenic pulmonary edema.