Alveoli Membrane Properties Imparting Lung Fitness and Performance of Marine Mammals
Abstract
Marine mammals have the capacity to hold their breath and dive for long periods of time (i.e. typically 5-7 minutes for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins) and at appreciable depth (i.e. up to 83 feet for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins). They do so by having compliant pulmonary alveoli that are able to, for example, fully collapse allowing California sea lions to ascend from 200 feet to the surface in a matter of minutes. Human divers are incapable of such feats and ascent needs to be gradual. Alveoli are the functional units of mammalian lungs comprising air sacs covered by membranes that mediate the exchange of gaseous species. The proposed research effort will investigate the structural and mechanical properties of alveoli membranes that are pertinent to marine mammals under healthy and unfit conditions, as pneumonia is the main cause of morbidity in marine mammals. Specifically, the properties of lung surfactant, a mixture of lipids and proteins which modulates the mechanical behavior of alveolar membranes, will be investigated in environments mimicking those of the alveoli compartments. Presently, very little is known about how pulmonary surfactants impart function in diving mammals, in particular in situations of lung disease. The ability to correlate the structural and dynamic properties of pulmonary surfactant with alveolar mechanical behavior will provide critical insight into lung activity and collapse during diving in healthy and unfit conditions, and will impart our capacity to optimize diving performance in marine mammals and humans. Additionally, the research will establish a pathway to develop new lung surfactant therapies. For example, pulmonary surfactant properties have been studied in humans and the surface properties of alveoli membranes can be modulated by administration of exogenous surfactant as a strategy to control alveolar collapse in babies born with respiratory distress syndrome.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141612886
Entities
People
- Cecilia Leal
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign