Changes in Alveolar Surface Area, Surfactant Protein A, and Saturated Phosphatidylcholine with Postnatal Rat Lung Growth

ABSTRACT: Most previous studies of the relationship between surfactant and growth have correlated surfactant pool size with lung weight or body weight. We asked how the quantities of the surfactant components surfactant protein A (SP-A) and saturated phosphatidylcholine (Sat PC) recovered by alveolar wash changed with age in relationship to morphologic measurements of alveolar surface area in rats. We also calculated SP-A and Sat PC in total lung per surface area. In groups of three to 14 rats studied on d 1, 7, 14, 21, 50, and 100 of age, the ratio of alveolar surface area to body weight was highest at d 14 and lowest at d 100. Alveolar and total lung SP-A and Sat PC were higher relative to body weight and surface area on d 1 than at all other ages. Alveolar and total lung SP-A peaked relative to surface area at d 21 and subsequently decreased significantly at d 100. The alveolar Sat PC to surface area ratio also was highest at d 21 and decreased significantly at d 50 and 100. The SP-A to Sat PC ratio in alveolar washes was not constant across this age range, being highest at d 21 and 50. These measurements demonstrate age-dependent changes in alveolar and total lung SP-A and Sat PC in the rat that continue beyond the newborn period.

[1]  E. Nanthakumar,et al.  Developmental regulation of surfactant-associated proteins in rabbit fetal lung in vivo. , 1992, Experimental lung research.

[2]  S. Schürch,et al.  Pulmonary SP-A enhances adsorption and appears to induce surface sorting of lipid extract surfactant. , 1992, The American journal of physiology.

[3]  G. Hammond,et al.  Levels of surfactant-associated protein messenger ribonucleic acids in rabbit lung during perinatal development and after hormonal treatment. , 1991, Endocrinology.

[4]  J. Verhoef,et al.  Surfactant protein A is opsonin in phagocytosis of herpes simplex virus type 1 by rat alveolar macrophages. , 1991, The American journal of physiology.

[5]  S. Young,et al.  Ontogeny of rat lung type II cells correlated with surfactant lipid and surfactant apoprotein expression. , 1991, The American journal of physiology.

[6]  N. Hooper,et al.  Function and regulation of expression of pulmonary surfactant-associated proteins. , 1991, The Biochemical journal.

[7]  F. Possmayer The role of surfactant-associated proteins. , 1990, The American review of respiratory disease.

[8]  J. Wright Clearance and recycling of pulmonary surfactant. , 1990, The American journal of physiology.

[9]  P. Richman,et al.  Pulmonary surfactant suppresses the immune lung injury response to inhaled antigen in guinea pigs. , 1990, The Journal of laboratory and clinical medicine.

[10]  J. Shannon,et al.  Ontogeny of Surfactant Apoproteins in the Rat , 1989, Pediatric Research.

[11]  J. Floros,et al.  Localization of surfactant protein synthesis in human lung by in situ hybridization. , 1988, The American review of respiratory disease.

[12]  E. Weibel Scaling of structural and functional variables in the respiratory system. , 1987, Annual review of physiology.

[13]  S. Young,et al.  Alterations of Surfactant Pools in Fetal and Newborn Rat Lungs , 1987, Pediatric Research.

[14]  Y. Fukada,et al.  Two-Site “Simultaneous” Immunoassay with Monoclonal Antibodies for the Determination of Surfactant Apoproteins in Human Amniotic Fluid , 1985, Pediatric Research.

[15]  G. Perret,et al.  Lecithin content estimate of human alveolar lining layer: comparison with mouse, rat and rabbit. , 1983, Comparative biochemistry and physiology. A, Comparative physiology.

[16]  J. Crapo,et al.  Morphologic changes in the lung during the lifespan of Fischer 344 rats. , 1982, The American journal of anatomy.

[17]  A. Jobe,et al.  Surfactant phosphatidylcholine source, fluxes, and turnover times in 3-day-old, 10-day-old, and adult rabbits. , 1982, The Journal of biological chemistry.

[18]  A. Jobe,et al.  Changes in the amount of lung and airway phosphatidylcholine in 0.5-12.5-day-old rabbits. , 1981, Biochimica et biophysica acta.

[19]  D. Gail,et al.  Interspecies variation in lung lavage and tissue saturated phosphatidylcholine. , 1978, Respiration physiology.

[20]  R. Mason,et al.  Isolation of disaturated phosphatidylcholine with osmium tetroxide. , 1976, Journal of lipid research.

[21]  P. Burri The postnatal growth of the rat lung III. Morphology , 1974 .

[22]  E. Weibel,et al.  The postnatal growth of the rat lung. I. Morphometry , 1974, The Anatomical record.

[23]  J. Clements Comparative lipid chemistry of lungs. , 1971, Archives of internal medicine.

[24]  W. Scherle,et al.  A simple method for volumetry of organs in quantitative stereology. , 1970, Mikroskopie.

[25]  J. Emery The Postnatal Development of Alveoli , 1969 .

[26]  G. R. Bartlett Phosphorus assay in column chromatography. , 1959, The Journal of biological chemistry.