Summary.

The respiratory distress syndrome in adults (ARDS) is a manifestation of acute injury to the lung, commonly resulting from sepsis, trauma, and severe pulmonary infections. ARDS is characterized by irreversible structural and functional injuries in the lung surfactant system. The most studied drugs for the treatment of ARDS are glucocorticoids, cyclooxygenase inhibitors, and antioxidants. The present study investigated the effects of nimesulide, a preferential COX-2 inhibitor on the phospholipid composition of the alveolar surfactant (АS) in experimental model of septic RDS. We studied the total quantity of the phospholipids, the percent ratio of the surfactant phospholipids, and the quantity ratio of the basic phospholpid fractions of the AS. Administration of nimesulide in rats with model of septic respiratory distress syndrome caused increase of the total phospholipids, as well as of some fractions of the alveolar phospholipid surfactant.