The Lung Surfactant System in Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
Abstract
In earlier experiments we were unable to demonstrate increased concentration of sIgA in the surfactant fraction of rabbit lung washing, suggesting that the sIgA found in washing represents, at least in part, a contaminant from the tracheo-bronchial passages. Results with human lung surfactant support the concept that surfactant contains specifically associated protein. We found two proteins with molecular weights of more than 400,000 and following reduction with DTT, peptide subunits with molecular weights of 33,000. A distinct species difference is seen in rabbit surfactant, which contains a small amount of the 33,000 molecular weight peptide but a large amount of sIgA. By contrast, rabbit surfactant phospholipids show a remarkable similarity to phospholipids of human surfactant. Finally, this study demonstrates that our method of isolating surfactant from minced lung tissue is quite adequate for normal human lung and our findings provide a basis for further evaluation of surfactant alterations in ARDS and other pathologic conditions of the human lung.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA138718
Entities
People
- J. U. Balis
Organizations
- University of South Florida