Changes in transglutaminase activity in an experimental model of pulmonary fibrosis induced by paraquat.

An experimental model of pulmonary fibrosis has been developed by dosing rats with one-fifth the LD50 dose of the herbicide paraquat on 5 consecutive days. Approximately 50% of the rats died within 4 days of the completion of dosing, showing macroscopic changes and wet weight increases in the lung consistent with severe oedema. Those animals which died between Days 4 and 10 had markedly increased levels of hydroxyproline in the lung, maximum at Day 6, and increased prolyl hydroxylase activity, maximum at Day 4. These changes, together with an increase in thymidine incorporation into DNA, and increased lung DNA content, were consistent with the development of fibrosis. Measurement of transglutaminase activity in the lung showed marked increases at Days 4 and 10 after completion of dosing. This activity paralleled closely the changes in prolyl hydroxylase activity and became increasingly associated with particulate protein present in the "nuclear pellet" fraction. The presence of zymogen plasma transglutaminase trapped in lung homogenates could not be demonstrated but the contribution by the active plasma transglutaminase (Factor XIIIa) to increases shown at Day 4 cannot be ruled out.