Effect of some beta-blockers and procaine on adrenaline-induced pulmonary edema and lung surfactant activity in rats.

Alveolar membrane stability can be studied by finding out pulmonary surfactant activity (4, 5). Local anaesthetics possess the membrane stabilzing activity. Protective effect of propranolol against adrenaline induced pulmonary edema (APE) has been reported (6, 7). It has been proposed that it may be due to its local anaesthetic acti vity (7), but no experimental evidence was provided. Hence, present study was undertaken to assess the effect of ~-blockers with or without local anaesthetic activity and of procaine on APE and pulmonary surfactant activity (PSA).