Pulmonary surfactant: its isolation, characterization and function.

The Isolation and Characterization a Human Diploid Cell Strain and Its Use in Production of Measles Vaccine

Surfactant protein B: unambiguously necessary for adult pulmonary function.

IN THE REPORT FROM MELTON ET AL., one of the current articles in focus (Ref. 21, see p. L543 in this issue), they use genetically engineered mice to demonstrate that at least 25% of normal surfactant protein B production is required for adult pulmonary function. With the use of doxycycline-regulated, compound-conditional knockout murine lineages, the authors show that genetic disruption of surf...

Functions of Surfactant Proteins in Vivo Discerned by Gene Targeting in Transgenic Mice

Received November 2, 2000 Abstract Mammalian pulmonary surfactants contain four distinct surfactant proteins, termed surfactant proteins A, B, C, and D (SP-A, SP-B, SP-C, and SP-D), that play unique roles in host defense, surfactant phospholipid homeostasis, and surfactant function. While in vitro studies supported overlapping roles for the surfactant proteins, unique functions for each surfact...

Effect of cholesterol on the molecular structure and transitions in a clinical-grade lung surfactant extract.

The lipid-protein film covering the interface of the lung alveolar in mammals is vital for proper lung function and its deficiency is related to a range of diseases. Here we present a molecular-level characterization of a clinical-grade porcine lung surfactant extract using a multitechnique approach consisting of [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] solid-state nuclear magnetic spectroscopy,...

Adverse biophysical effects of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles on natural pulmonary surfactant.

Inhaled nanoparticles (NPs) must first interact with the pulmonary surfactant (PS) lining layer that covers the entire internal surface of the respiratory tract and plays an important role in surface tension reduction and host defense. Interactions with the PS film determine the subsequent clearance, retention, and translocation of the inhaled NPs and hence their potential toxicity. To date, li...