Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 54, Issue 4 1097-1100, Copyright © 1983 by American Physiological Society
Surfactant dysfunction in diabetic offspring: inhibitors and fatty acid lecithin content
I. R. Sosenko, J. Werthammer, M. D. Cunningham and I. D. Frantz 3rd
We have previously demonstrated that the lungs of fetuses of
alloxan-diabetic rabbits are functionally immature when compared with
controls. In this study we have examined pulmonary lavage fluid from
fetuses of diabetic and control does for the presence of a surfactant
inhibitor, cholesterol content, and phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) fatty
acid content. When lavage fluids from fetuses of control and diabetic does
were mixed and examined on the surface balance, the measured surfactant
content corresponded to the arithmetic average of the surfactant content of
the individual fluids, thus ruling out the presence of an excess of a
surfactant inhibitor. We were able to demonstrate inhibition of surfactant
function when exogenous cholesterol was added to lavage samples, but
cholesterol content of lavage fluid from fetuses of diabetic and control
does was not significantly different. Finally, the fatty acid composition
of surfactant phosphatidylcholine was not different between the two groups.
These studies indicate that mechanisms other than the presence of a
surfactant inhibitor or altered fatty acid composition must explain the
functional immaturity seen in offspring of the diabetic pregnancy.
