THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF CARNOSINE IN LUNG INJURY FOLLOWING SINGLE LUNG VENTILATION

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the protective effect of carnosine on lung injury after single lung ventilation in a rat model. Material and Methods: Twenty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups for the study (n=10). We used single lung ventilation (SLV) for 60 minutes, following a 30-minute dual lung ventilation (DLV) model on all animals. In the carnosine group, animals received 250 mg/kg carnosine intraperitoneally 10 minutes before the start of the experiment. Lung samples from the control and carnosine groups were obtained for biochemical analysis and histopathological evaluation at the end of SLV and DLV. Tissue levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured. Histopathologically, hematoxylin-eosin-stained tissues were scored for lung injury parameters such as alveolar congestion, intra-alveolar hemorrhage, presence and amount of leukocyte and lymphocyte infiltration. Results: In the carnosine group, TNF-α levels were significantly reduced compared to the control group at the end of SLV and DLV (p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in MDA and SOD levels between the two groups after SLV and DLV (p>0.05). Histopathological evaluation showed a statistically significant reduction in polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) and lymphocyte infiltration in the carnosinegroup (p<0.05). Conclusion: We believe that carnosine has the potential for preventing injury caused by SLV in thoracic surgery procedures.