The pathological changes in the lungs after hydrogen sulfide inhalation in rats / 第三军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

The pathological changes of the lungs after a single exposure to an atmosphere containing 100?15 ppm of hydrogen sulfide(H2S)for 3 hours were observed with optical and electron microscopy in rats.It was found that bronchial epitheliem,alveolar epithelium,pulmonary vessels and pulmonary interstitium were extensively involved.Pulmonary edema,focal pulmonary hemorrhage,exfoliation of the damaged epithelium,and infiltration of neutrophils occurred mainly in the 3rd hour to the 3rd day after H2S intoxication.Chronic inflammatory response and proliferation of fibrous tissue occurred mainly from the 7th to the 15th day after intoxication.Ultrastruc-turally,there were marked changes of alveolar epithelium,phagocytes,vascular endothelium,fi-broblasts,and inflammatory cells.Initial pulmonary edema emerged in the pulmonary interstitium and gradually affected the alveoli.Fragments of alveolar surfactant could be seen in the 3rd hour to the 3rd day after intoxication.These findings indicate that H2S inhalation exerts extensive injurious effects on the lungs in the rats.