The involvement of the pulmonary surfactant system in defense of the alveoli and distal airways of the lungs is an aspect of respiratory physiology and toxicology that has been largely overlooked. The pulmonary surfactant system is absolutely critical to survival of all mammalian species, as progressive loss of surfactant leads to lung collapse and death of the organism. In recent years it has ...

Studies using in vitro analysis have shown that the interaction between pulmonary surfactant and vernix caseosa could explain the appearance of amniotic fluid turbidity. That phenomenon is interpreted based on the "roll-up" hypothesis. We tested the roll-up hypothesis by examining the presence of micelles of pulmonary surfactant in human amniotic fluid at term. Amniotic fluid samples were colle...

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) have had much focus on their ability to penetrate deep pulmonary structures as potential drug carriers. However, research on the toxicological effects of NPs is in its infancy, and interaction mechanisms are largely unknown. Studies have shown that the interactions with pulmonary structures are heavily dependent on the physicochemical properties of the NPs. Here, w...

Pulmonary surfactant is an essential lipid-protein complex that stabilizes the respiratory units (alveoli) involved in gas exchange. Quantitative or qualitative derangements in surfactant are associated with severe respiratory pathologies. The integrated regulation of surfactant synthesis, secretion, and metabolism is critical for air breathing and, ultimately, survival. The goal of this review...

Types A and B Niemann-Pick disease (NPD) are lipid storage disorders caused by the deficient activity of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM). In humans, NPD is associated with the dysfunction of numerous organs including the lung. Gene targeting of the ASM gene in transgenic mice produced an animal model with features typical of NPD, including pulmonary inflammation. To assess mechanisms by which ASM p...

BACKGROUND Deleted in Malignant Brain Tumors 1 (DMBT1) is a secreted scavenger receptor cysteine-rich protein that binds various bacteria and is thought to participate in innate pulmonary host defense. We hypothesized that pulmonary DMBT1 could contribute to respiratory distress syndrome in neonates by modulating surfactant function. METHODS DMBT1 expression was studied by immunohistochemistr...

The effects of surfactant-associated protein A (SPA) on lipid adsorption to the air-water interface and accumulation of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) in the surface region were investigated at 37%. Dispersions used were bovine pulmonary lipid extract surfactant with or without neutral lipid (NL). Lipid adsorption was examined with the Wilhelmy plate technique and DPPC accumulation by mo...

BACKGROUND Intramuscular injections of vitamin A decrease the risk of broncho-pulmonary dysplasia. Admixture of vitamin A with surfactant as a lipophilic vehicle might be a less invasive modality. AIM Test physical properties of surfactant + vitamin A. METHODS Miscibility and surface activity were tested in surfactant supplemented with retinyl-acetate, -palmitate, 13-cis-, or all-trans-reti...