Abstract

The severity of bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice varies markedly among several different murine strains. We have examined the DNA from lungs of sensitive (i.e., C57BL/6N) and resistant (i.e., BALB/c) strains of mice using a nucleoid sedimentation technique to detect early in vivo changes in the integrity of DNA after intravenous BLM. Mice received intravenous injections of BLM (80 mg/kg) or vehicle; lung nucleoids were prepared 15 min to 6 hr later. BLM produced striking decreases in nucleoid sedimentation distance versus paired controls in both strains within 15 min after injection, indicating extensive DNA scission. Repair of DNA strand breaks was complete in the resistant (BALB/c) mice by 5 hr; in contrast, only partial repair occurred in the sensitive (C57BL/6N) strain during that time. We then examined lungs for subsequent changes in steady state poly-(A)+ RNA levels and mRNA levels for lung matrix proteins (type I procollagen, type III procollagen, and fibronectin). Steady state levels of poly-(A)+ RNA were depressed to 50% of control 1 through 6 days after BLM injection in the lungs of sensitive mice. Resistant mice had pulmonary poly-(A)+ RNA levels similar to those of C57BL/6N mice, except for a 2-fold elevation 1 day after BLM injection. BLM injection affected the steady state levels of mRNA encoding lung matrix proteins differently than total poly-(A)+ RNA. Fibronectin mRNA/poly(A)+ RNA was elevated 2-fold 1 day after BLM treatment only in the sensitive strain and remained elevated at 3 and 6 days. In contrast, alpha 2I procollagen mRNA increased in both murine strains and alpha 1III procollagen mRNA decreased in both strains. Thus, a 7-fold or greater increase in the type I: type III procollagen mRNA ratio was seen in both strains 3 to 6 days after BLM injection. These data demonstrate that BLM treatment rapidly produces extensive pulmonary DNA damage in vivo, that persistence of DNA damage rather than the initial level of strand scission is associated with sensitivity to BLM lung disease in these mice, and that changes in the levels of mRNA encoding pulmonary matrix proteins occur in vivo within 1 to 3 days after intravenous BLM treatment.