Relationship between pulmonary fat embolism and core body temperature in rats with a severe fatty liver

Abstract We previously demonstrated that pulmonary fat embolism was induced by elevation of the core body temperature, in rats with a fatty liver. The aim of the present examination was to investigate the core body temperature at which pulmonary fat embolism developed capillaries through exposure to a high temperature, in rats with a fatty liver. Following heat stress, pulmonary fat embolism was observed to a slight degree at a core body temperature of 41 and 42°C, whereas the severity of pulmonary fat embolism was greatly increased and was classified as severe at a core body temperature of 43°C. Moreover, the concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase within plasma were significantly increased at a core body temperature of 43°C. These results clearly indicate that the development of pulmonary fat embolism could be related to hyperthermia at above 42°C following heat stress, and that fat emboli may be derived from the fatty liver itself. It is thus likely that pulmonary fat embolism can be considered as one form of evidence of hyperthermia in an individual with a fatty liver.