Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 73, Issue 2 446-451, Copyright © 1992 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

A comparative study of postpneumonectomy compensatory lung response in growing male and female rats

H. S. Sekhon and W. M. Thurlbeck
Department of Pathology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Postpneumonectomy compensatory lung response and normal lung growth in the early postnatal period were studied in male and female rats. Four-week-old litter-matched male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to left pneumonectomy or sham operation and followed for 3 wk. In both sexes after pneumonectomy, lung weight (WL), lung volume (VL), alveolar surface area (Sw), total alveolar number (N(at)), and the amount of DNA and protein increased significantly. In both males and females, WL, VL, and Sw matched those of both lungs of the sham-operated group, but N(at) and the amount of DNA and protein did not. Female pneumonectomy and sham-operated rats were smaller in body weight than males. Absolute WL, VL, Sw, N(at), and the amount of DNA and protein were significantly lower, but specific parameters (per unit body weight) were significantly greater in females than in males. After pneumonectomy, the postcaval lobe increased most in volume (70 and 73% in males and females, respectively). Mean linear intercept and mean chord length of alveoli increased, and the number of alveoli per unit volume decreased more in the postcaval and middle lobes than in upper and lower lobes in both sexes. Postpneumonectomy, loss of elastic lung recoil was observed in females. We conclude that, in certain aspects (WL, VL), compensatory growth matched both lungs of controls, but in others (biochemical, morphometric) it did not. There was evidence of alveolar multiplication, but the dominant effect was enlargement of air spaces.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. Fehrenbach, R. Voswinckel, V. Michl, T. Mehling, A. Fehrenbach, W. Seeger, and J. R. Nyengaard Neoalveolarisation contributes to compensatory lung growth following pneumonectomy in mice Eur. Respir. J., March 1, 2008; 31(3): 515 - 522. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. G. Fernandez, T. D. Le Cras, M. Ruiz, D. K. Glover, I. L. Kron, and V. E. Laubach Differential vascular growth in postpneumonectomy compensatory lung growth J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., February 1, 2007; 133(2): 309 - 316. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Ravikumar, C. Yilmaz, D. M. Dane, R. L. Johnson Jr., A. S. Estrera, and C. C. W. Hsia Regional lung growth following pneumonectomy assessed by computed tomography J Appl Physiol, October 1, 2004; 97(4): 1567 - 1574. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. C. W. Hsia, E. Y. Wu, E. Wagner, and E. R. Weibel Preventing mediastinal shift after pneumonectomy impairs regenerative alveolar tissue growth Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, November 1, 2001; 281(5): L1279 - L1287. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. R. Chess, L. Toia, and J. N. Finkelstein Mechanical strain-induced proliferation and signaling in pulmonary epithelial H441 cells Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, July 1, 2000; 279(1): L43 - L51. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. C. W. Hsia, X. S. Zhou, D. J. Bellotto, and H. K. Hagler Regenerative growth of respiratory bronchioles in dogs Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, July 1, 2000; 279(1): L136 - L142. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S.-I. Takeda, C. C. W. Hsia, E. Wagner, M. Ramanathan, A. S. Estrera, and E. R. Weibel Compensatory alveolar growth normalizes gas-exchange function in immature dogs after pneumonectomy J Appl Physiol, April 1, 1999; 86(4): 1301 - 1310. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]