Experimental lung research
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To study the effect of chronic hyperoxia and hypoxia on pneumonectomy-induced compensatory lung growth, 4-week-old male rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: pneumonectomy controls, pneumonectomy hyperoxic group (fraction of ambient oxygen [FO2] 0.35), pneumonectomy hypoxic group (FO2 0.14), and unoperated controls. After 2 weeks, somatic growth of pneumonectomy hypoxic rats was diminished. Compared to unoperated controls, lung weight increased in all pneumonectomy groups but lung volume increased only in pneumonectomy control and pneumonectomy hypoxic rats. ⋯ The results suggest that 2 weeks after left pneumonectomy, compensatory lung response is incomplete. Chronic hypoxia enhances, whereas hyperoxia inhibits compensatory lung growth. The post-caval and upper lobes respond more and the lower lobe responds less following left pneumonectomy in both hypoxia and hyperoxia.