Relationship between alveolar epithelial type II cells and pulmonary surfactant protein A levels in young rats with acute lung injury

• Published in: Zhongguo dang dai er ke za zhi Vol. 10; no. 4; p. 504
• Main Authors: Shu, Lin-Hua, Wei, Ke-Lun, Shang, Yun-Xiao, Wu, Hong-Min, Li, Juan, Han, Xiao-Hua, Cai, Xu-Xu, Liu, Chun-Feng, Li, Jiu-Jun, Wang, Li-Jie, Shi, Qi-Xing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 01.08.2008
• Subjects: Animals; Female; Lipopolysaccharides - toxicity; Male; Microscopy, Electron; Pulmonary Alveoli - pathology; Pulmonary Alveoli - ultrastructure; Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A - analysis; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult - metabolism; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult - pathology
• ISSN: 1008-8830

This study examined the relationship between the ultrastructural alterations of alveolar epithelial cells type II (AEC-II) and pulmonary surfactant protein A (SP-A) levels in the lung tissue of young rats with acute lung injury (ALI) in order to explore the possible mechanism of ALI. Forty-eight young Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control and ALI groups. The rats in the ALI group were intraperitoneally injected with 4 mg/kg of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in order to induce ALI. The control subjects were injected with the same volume of normal saline. Rats were sacrificed at 24, 48 and 72 hrs after LPS or NS injection. Lung samples were obtained from the lower parts of the left lung and fixed with 2.5% glutaraldehyde for transmission electron microscope examination and for Western blot test of SP-A. The microvilli of AEC-II disappeared 24 hrs after LPS injection. After 24 and 48 hrs of LPS injection, lamellar body (Lb) increased in number, enlarged in size and reduced in density, and the ring-lik