Upregulation of alveolar epithelial fluid transport after subacute lung injury in rats from bleomycin

The hypothesis that net alveolar fluid clearance would increase in association with hyperplasia of alveolar type II epithelial cells during subacute lung injury was tested. Alveolar fluid clearance was increased in bleomycin-injured rats. This increase was partially inhibited by amiloride of net alveolar fluid transport. The measured increases occurred in the presence of a significant increase in alveolar epithelial permeability to protein as well as a decrease in mRNA for the alpha-subunit of the epithelial sodium channel.