Cortisone Effect on Pneumonitis Produced in Mice by Exposure to a High Oxygen Atmosphere.

Abstract

Adult mice exposed to 100% O2 atmospheres develop non-infectious pneumonitis. Parenteral admn. of 1 mg. cortisone daily per mouse rendered mice more susceptible to lethal effects of 02 exposure. Cortisone-O2-treated animals died earlier than O2-treated controls. Histo-pathological findings were the same in the lungs of both groups of mice dying in O2 but the cortisone treated mice developed the changes significantly earlier. Cortisone-treated control mice maintained in ambient air survived the exptl. term.