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J Appl Physiol 82: 2003-2010, 1997;
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Journal of Applied Physiology
Vol. 82, No. 6, pp. 2003-2010, June 1997
CELLULAR ASPECTS OF LUNG FUNCTION

Pathophysiology of neonatal lung injury induced by monoclonal antibody to surfactant protein B

Gertie Grossmann1, Yasuhiro Suzuki2, Bengt Robertson1, Tsutomu Kobayashi3, Per Berggren1, Wen-Zhi Li3, Guo-Wei Song1, and Bo Sun1

1 Division for Experimental Perinatal Pathology, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden; 2 Department of Molecular Pathology, Kyoto University, Kyoto; and 3 Department of Anesthesiology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan

ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FOOTNOTES
REFERENCES


ABSTRACT

Grossmann, Gertie, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Bengt Robertson, Tsutomu Kobayashi, Per Berggren, Wen-Zhi Li, Guo-Wei Song, and Bo Sun. Pathophysiology of neonatal lung injury induced by monoclonal antibody to surfactant protein B. J. Appl. Physiol. 82(6): 2003-2010, 1997.---Near-term newborn rabbits were exposed via the airways to a monoclonal antibody to surfactant protein B and ventilated for 0-120 min. Control animals received nonspecific rabbit or mouse immunoglobulin G, saline, or no material via the airways. Administration of the antibody at >= 40 mg/kg elicited an immediate, significant fall in lung-thorax compliance associated with progressive intra-alveolar edema and/or alveolar collapse and necrosis and desquamation of airway epithelium, and hyaline membranes. The vascular-to-alveolar leak of human albumin and human immunoglobulin G, injected intravenously at birth and determined in lung lavage fluid 60-120 min after instillation of the antibody, was 1.8% for the left lung, with no difference between the markers. The average leak in control animals ventilated for 120 min was <0.3% (P < 0.05). Cytospin preparations of lung lavage fluid from animals exposed to the antibody showed significantly increased recruitment of neutrophilic granulocytes. The pathology and pathophysiology of neonatal lung injury induced by the monoclonal antibody to surfactant protein B probably reflect a combination of direct inactivation of surfactant and an inflammatory response triggered by the immune reaction.

animals, newborn; electron microscopy; lung compliance; lung permeability; respiratory insufficiency


INTRODUCTION

RAPID ADSORPTION of surface-active material to the air-liquid interfaces of the lung is of vital importance for the first breath and subsequent neonatal adaptation. To meet this requirement, the pulmonary fluid of the normal full-term neonate contains large amounts of surfactant lipids associated with at least three specific proteins, currently known as surfactant proteins A (SP-A, 28-36 kDa, hydrophilic), B (SP-B, 8.7 kDa, hydrophobic), and C (SP-C, 4.2 kDa, palmitoylated and ex- tremely hydrophobic) (for review, see Ref. 7). SP-A and probably also SP-B are essential for conversion of newly secreted lamellar bodies to tubular myelin (19, 21), an intermediate phase required for adsorption of endogenous surfactant at the alveolar air-liquid interfaces.

In experiments on ventilated immature newborn rabbits, we have shown that exogenous natural surfactant (containing all 3 surfactant-associated proteins mentioned above) loses its therapeutic effect when incubated with a monoclonal antibody to SP-B, whereas a monoclonal antibody to SP-A had no such effects (10). In a study on near-term newborn rabbits we also demonstrated that blocking of endogenous SP-B with a cross-reacting monoclonal antibody (raised against porcine SP-B) leads to severe respiratory failure associated with exudative and inflammatory lung lesions, including hyaline membranes. We speculated that the disturbance of lung function developing shortly after tracheal instillation of the antibody was in part mediated by inactivation of surfactant but probably also involved other mechanisms.

The present experiments were designed to further clarify the pathophysiology of this new animal model of neonatal lung disease. Studies were performed in near-term newborn rabbits using a monoclonal antibody raised to rabbit SP-B, and the morphological evolution of lung injury was characterized in animals examined at various times after instillation of the antibody. We also quantified recruitment of inflammatory cells to the air spaces and determined vascular-to-alveolar protein leakage during the course of the disease.


METHODS

Isolation and Characterization of the Monoclonal Antibody

Spleen cells from adult mice immunized against rabbit SP-B were fused with myeloma cells. The binding of the antibody produced by the hybridoma cell line (R48A) to surfactant protein fractions from rabbit lung was examined by immunoblotting. SP-B and SP-C isolated from rabbit surfactant by means of a Sephadex LH-6O column (Pharmacia Biotech, Uppsala, Sweden) were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (12.5% in reduced condition), blotted to a Dulapore sheet, and stained with biotinylated R48A antibody and streptavidin-peroxidase. To verify the identity of the surfactant proteins used in this assay, major NH2-terminal sequences of the bands were determined with a gas-phase protein sequencer system (model PS Q-1, Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) on the proteins blotted on a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA).

In Vitro Evaluation of Surfactant Inhibition

Rabbit natural surfactant, isolated as described by Frosolono et al. (4), was suspended in normal saline at a phospholipid concentration of 10 mg/ml and incubated with various concentrations of the monoclonal antibody ranging from 0 to 16 mg/ml. Control samples were mixed with nonspecific rabbit or mouse immunoglobulin G (IgG) (Sigma Chemical, St. Louis, MO) at a concentration of 16 mg/ml. The mixtures were kept at room temperature for at least 1 h before evaluation of surface properties at 37°C with a pulsating bubble surfactometer (Electronetics, Amherst, NY). Before onset of pulsation, surface tension was measured over 10 s under static conditions. Adsorption time was defined as the interval from the moment the bubble was made until surface tension had dropped to 30 mN/m. Maximum and minimum surface tension were then recorded under dynamic conditions after 5 min of pulsation, during which surface area of the bubble was compressed by 50% at a rate of 40 cycles/min.

Animal Experiments

Experiments were carried out on a total of 112 newborn rabbits obtained from 27 does by hysterotomy at a gestational age of 29.5 days, i.e., ~2 days before full term. At this stage of fetal development, adequate amounts of surfactant have usually accumulated in the alveolar spaces and the lungs are therefore easily ventilated at birth (11).

Three series of experiments were performed to evaluate 1) evolution of lung injury in animals killed at various times after receiving a standard dose of antibody, 2) lung protein leakage during various times after administration of a standard dose of antibody, and 3) recruitment of inflammatory cells to the air spaces after instillation of a standard dose of antibody.

All neonates were weighed, anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium (0.5 mg ip), relaxed with pancuronium bromide (0.02 mg ip), and tracheotomized. The antibody was dissolved in saline at a concentration of 8 mg/ml and administered into the airways via a fine nylon tube at a dose volume of 5 ml/kg. The standard dose of antibody used in our experiments (40 mg/kg) was chosen on the basis of dose-response studies indicating that this amount was required to cause a >45% decrease in lung-thorax compliance in animals ventilated for 120 min (data not shown). The nylon tube was wedged into the tracheal cannula during the instillation procedure to ensure precise dosing. Control animals received nonspecific rabbit or mouse IgG (Sigma Chemical), saline, or no material via the airways. After the instillation maneuver, the neonates were transferred to a system of multiple body plethysmographs, heated to 37°C, and connected in parallel to a common ventilator system delivering 100% oxygen at a frequency of 40 breaths/min and an inspiration-to-expiration ratio of 1:1. Insufflation pressure was individually adjusted to provide a tidal volume of ~10 ml/kg body wt (18). No positive end-expiratory pressure was applied. Tidal volumes were measured with a pneumotachograph connected to the plethysmograph box. Recordings were made every 15 min, and lung-thorax compliance was calculated by dividing tidal volume, expressed as milliliters per kilogram of body weight, with peak insufflation pressure in cmH2O. Electrocardiogram (ECG) was monitored from subcutaneous electrodes. After the scheduled period of artificial ventilation, the animals were killed by intracerebral injection of lidocaine (which causes immediate cardiac arrest). The abdomen was opened, and the diaphragm was inspected for evidence of pneumothorax. Then the chest was opened in the anterior midline, and blood was sampled from the usually bulging right cardiac ventricle for determination of PCO2 and pH. Differences between the protocols for the four series of experiments are outlined below.

Protocol 1. Twenty rabbits from four does were used for protocol 1. Experimental animals receiving the monoclonal antibody (40 mg/kg) were allocated at random to ventilation for 15, 30, 60, or 120 min. Control animals received the same dose of nonspecific rabbit IgG, saline, or no material via the airways and were ventilated for 120 min. Then they were killed, and the lungs were inflated for 30 s with a transpulmonary pressure of 30 cmH2O. This pressure was lowered to 10 cmH2O, which was maintained for 30 min while the lungs were perfused with a mixture of 3.5% formaldehyde and 1% glutaraldehyde at 65 cmH2O. The lungs were embedded in paraffin, and large transverse sections from the lower lobes, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, were examined by conventional light microscopy with particular reference to the alveolar expansion pattern, hemorrhage, desquamation of airway epithelium, and inflammatory and exudative lesions including hyaline membranes. In addition, small pieces from the right upper lobe were sampled for electron microscopy. These tissue blocks were postfixed in 1% osmium tetroxide, dehydrated in graded acetone, and embedded in Vestopal (Bio-Rad, Cambridge, MD). Thin sections stained with lead citrate and uranyl acetate were examined with an electron microscope (model JEM 2000 Ex-II, Jeol, Tokyo, Japan), with particular reference to the structure of type I and type II cells and other components of the alveolar walls and to the presence of tubular myelin in the alveolar spaces. The ultrastructural examination was limited to animals receiving specific antibody and ventilated for 15 or 120 min and to animals treated with saline or nonspecific rabbit IgG and ventilated for 120 min.

Protocol 2. These experiments were carried out on 48 newborn rabbits obtained from 11 does. Experimental animals received the monoclonal antibody (40 mg/kg), and control animals received the same amount of nonspecific rabbit IgG, saline, or no material via the tracheal cannula. As markers of lung permeability, we used human albumin (Sigma Chemical; 100 mg/ml) and human IgG (Sigma Chemical; 160 mg/ml). These markers were dissolved together in sterile saline and administered via one jugular vein at a dose volume of 7 ml/kg during the tracheotomy procedure. Animals receiving antibody were randomized to 15, 30, 60, or 120 min of ventilation. Control animals were ventilated for 120 min, with the exception of five nontreated animals, which were killed immediately after injection of the markers to provide baseline values. After the scheduled period of ventilation, the animals were killed, the hilum of the left lung was tied, and the right lung was lavaged with 20 ml/kg of saline. This volume was instilled and withdrawn twice, and the procedure was repeated with fresh saline four times (total lavage volume 100 ml/kg) with an average recovery of 90%. The content of human albumin and human IgG in the lavage fluid was determined by immunodiffusion as previously described (1) and expressed as percentage of injected dose. The left lung was fixed for 24 h by immersion in a mixture of 4% formaldehyde, 6% mercuric chloride, and 1.25% sodium acetate, stored in 70% ethyl alcohol, and embedded in paraffin for immunohistochemical demonstration of human albumin in lung vessels and alveolar spaces. Paraffin sections from the left lung were first incubated with a goat anti-human albumin antibody (A-1151, Sigma Chemical), then with a biotinylated rabbit anti-goat antibody (BA-5000, Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA). Subsequent steps included incubation with Vectastain AK-5000 ABC-AP (Vector Laboratories) and visualization of the final reaction product by alkaline phosphatase substrate (kit III Blue SK-5300, Vector Laboratories).

Protocol 3. Forty-four neonates from 12 does were used in protocol 3. Experimental animals received the monoclonal antibody (40 mg/kg), and control animals received the same amount of nonspecific rabbit or mouse IgG or no material via the airways. All animals were ventilated for 120 min, except for four nontreated controls, which were killed immediately after the tracheotomy procedure without being ventilated. At the end of the experiment both lungs were washed five times with 40 ml/kg of ice-cold normal saline (total lavage volume 200 ml/kg), with an average recovery of 82%. The cells in the lavage fluid were centrifuged for 10 min at 150 g and 4°C into a pellet, which was resuspended in 1 ml of Türk's solution for microscopic counting of cells in a Bürker chamber. By use of conventional cytospin technique, the remaining cells in the pellet were attached to a glass slide and stained with Giemsa solution for microscopic differential counting of macrophages, lymphocytes, and granulocytes.

Statistical Analysis

Data are expressed as means ± SD or, when appropriate, as median and range. Surface tension measurements and data on lung function including protein leakage were subjected to analysis of variance followed by the Student-Newman-Keuls test for differences between groups. Data from cell counts were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney test. P = 0.05 was defined as the limit level for statistical significance.


RESULTS

Characterization of the Antibody

The NH2-terminal amino acid sequences of the slower- and faster-migrating protein bands in rabbit surfactant, separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis as described above, were Phe-Pro-Ile-Pro-Leu-Pro- and Phe-Gly-Ile-Pro-X-X-Pro-, respectively. The presence of truncated forms was noted for both proteins, and we concluded that the former corresponded to SP-B and the latter to SP-C.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the antibody (R48A) showed a strong binding to the band identified as rabbit SP-B but did not react with rabbit SP-C.


Fig. 1. Immunoblot showing binding of monoclonal antibody (R48A) to a rabbit surfactant protein fraction identified as surfactant protein B. Proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE using 12.5% acrylamide gel. Lane 1, molecular weight markers (in kDa); lane 2, SDS-PAGE profile of proteins stained with Coomassie brilliant blue; lane 3, proteins blotted to a Dulapore sheet and stained with R48A monoclonal antibody; lane 4, control stained without antibody.
[View Larger Version of this Image (6K GIF file)]

Effect of Antibody on In Vitro Surface Properties of Natural Surfactant

The results of surface tension measurements with the pulsating bubble system are shown in Table 1 and Fig. 2. Adsorption time was prolonged at antibody concentrations >= 8 mg/ml and was >10 s at 16 mg/ml. Values for maximum and minimum surface tension remained normal at antibody concentrations between 0 and 0.5 mg/ml and were consistently elevated at antibody concentrations >= 4 mg/ml. At an antibody concentration of 1 mg/ml, minimum surface tension remained close to zero, but there was some elevation of maximum surface tension. Intermediate values for maximum and minimum surface tension were observed at an antibody concentration of 2 mg/ml. Nonspecific rabbit and mouse IgG at a concentration of 16 mg/ml did not interfere with the in vitro surface properties of natural surfactant.

Table  1.   Adsorption of natural rabbit surfactant in the presence of monoclonal antibody to rabbit SP-B or nonspecific rabbit or mouse IgG
Antibody Concn, mg/ml n Adsorption, s

1) 0 10 0.16 (0.12-0.63)
2) 0.25 5 0.16 (0.16-0.20)
3) 0.5 5 0.16 (0.12-0.20)
4) 1 5 0.16 (0.12-0.60)
5) 2 5 0.24 (0.12-0.40)
6) 4 10 0.24 (0.12-0.60)
7) 8 5 1.0 (0.48-6.7)
8) 16 5 >10
9) Rabbit IgG (16 mg/ml) 5 0.17 (0.16-0.17)
10) Mouse IgG (16 mg/ml) 5 0.16 (0.14-0.17)

Values are expressed as median and range (in parentheses). Recordings were made at 37°C; phospholipid concentration was 10 mg/ml. SP-B, surfactant protein B; IgG, immunoglobulin G. Statistical evaluation (analysis of variance, Newman-Keuls test): 7 > 1-7, 9, 10 (P < 0.01); 8 > 1-7, 9, 10 (P < 0.01).


Fig. 2. Maximum and minimum surface tension (gamma max and gamma min) of natural rabbit surfactant mixed with different concentrations of monoclonal antibody to rabbit surfactant protein B (bullet ) or with nonspecific rabbit (triangle ) or mouse immunoglobulin G (IgG; open circle ) at 10 mg/ml. Values are median and range (n = 5-10). gamma max and gamma min values recorded in presence of antibody at >2 mg/ml are significantly larger than those obtained at lower antibody concentrations (P < 0.01-0.05). gamma max and gamma min values recorded at an antibody concentration of 16 mg/ml are significantly higher than those recorded in presence of rabbit or mouse IgG at the same concentration (P <0.01).
[View Larger Version of this Image (19K GIF file)]

Data From Animal Experiments

Protocol 1. Nineteen of the 20 animals allocated to protocol 1 survived the scheduled period of artificial ventilation without complications; these animals had a body weight of 41 ± 10 g and a final heart rate of 301 ± 31 beats/min. One animal was excluded from the study because of ECG abnormality (atrioventricular block). Final values for lung-thorax compliance at various times and PCO2 in heart blood in surviving animals are shown in Table 2.

Table  2.   Final values for lung-thorax compliance and PCO2 in heart blood
Instilled Material Total Ventilation Time, min n Compliance, ml · cm H2O-1 · kg-1 PCO2, kPa

Protocol 1 
 1) Antibody 15 3 0.38 ± 0.09  11 ± 4.8 
 2) Antibody 30 3 0.45 ± 0.05  6.3 ± 1.4 
 3) Antibody 60 3 0.49 ± 0.11  6.8 ± 0.9 
 4) Antibody 120 3 0.39 ± 0.10  6.3 ± 2.1 
 5) Rabbit IgG 120 3 0.65 ± 0.12  6.5 ± 1.2 
 6) Saline 120 2 0.71 ± 0.06  7.3 ± 1.2 
 7) No material 120 2 0.77 ± 0.09  8.2 ± 1.4 
Protocol 2 
 8) Antibody 15 5 0.47 ± 0.10  7.6 ± 1.2 
 9) Antibody 30 6 0.43 ± 0.04  6.3 ± 1.4 
10) Antibody 60 6 0.40 ± 0.05  7.5 ± 1.7 
11) Antibody 120 6 0.41 ± 0.09  7.6 ± 0.5 
12) Rabbit IgG 120 5 0.81 ± 0.14  5.8 ± 0.9 
13) Saline 120 5 0.70 ± 0.05  5.3 ± 0.3 
14) No material 0 5 19.0 ± 4.6 
15) No material 120 5 0.79 ± 0.04  5.3 ± 1.1 
Protocol 3 
16) Antibody 120 7 0.56 ± 0.22  7.6 ± 1.7 
17) Rabbit IgG 120 9 0.75 ± 0.32  6.9 ± 1.9 
18) Mouse IgG 120 6 0.68 ± 0.11  7.5 ± 1.0 
19) No material 120 10 0.89 ± 0.17  6.8 ± 1.3 
20) No material 120 5 1.01 ± 0.36  7.8 ± 1.1

Values are means ± SD. Newborn rabbits were treated with monoclonal antibody to SP-B; controls were treated with nonspecific rabbit or mouse IgG or no material via tracheal cannula. Statistical analysis for compliance: 1 < 5, 6 (P < 0.05); 1, 3 < 7 (P < 0.01); 2 < 6, 7 (P < 0.05) for protocol 1; 8-11 < 12, 13, 15 (P < 0.01) for protocol 2; 16 < 19 (P < 0.05) for protocol 3. Differences in PCO2 between groups ventilated for >= 15 min are not statistically significant.

LIGHT-MICROSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS. Light-microscopic examination of lung sections from animals exposed to the specific antibody revealed structural abnormalities increasing in degree with the period of ventilation. Animals ventilated for only 15 min after receiving the antibody showed some irregular alveolar collapse and focal desquamation of airway epithelium but no exudative lesions. In animals ventilated for 120 min, alveolar collapse was more widespread and necrosis and desquamation of airway epithelium, associated with various degrees of intra-alveolar edema and alveolar hyaline membranes, were more prominent, confirming observations illustrated previously (16). Animals ventilated for 30 or 60 min showed intermediate degrees of the same type of abnormalities. Control animals ventilated for 120 min after receiving saline, nonspecific rabbit IgG, or no material via the airways had essentially normal lungs, except for one animal treated with nonspecific rabbit IgG, which showed fairly widespread intra-alveolar hemorrhage and only patchy aeration of the parenchyma.

ELECTRON-MICROSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS. Animals ventilated for 15 min after receiving the monoclonal antibody demonstrated various degrees of interstitial edema (Fig. 3A), some mitochondrial vacuolation and cytoplasmic swelling of type I cells, and focal vacuolar degeneration with detachment of capillary endothelial cells from the basement membrane. Type II cells were not affected, and there was no desquamation of alveolar epithelial cells. Many alveolar spaces contained acellular amorphous material interpreted as edema fluid or unresorbed fetal lung liquid. In contrast to control animals, tubular myelin could not be identified in animals treated with the antibody.
Fig. 3. Electron-microscopic findings in animals ventilated for different times after receiving monoclonal antibody to surfactant protein B (40 mg/kg). Lead citrate, uranyl acetate. A: moderate interstitial edema (*) in animal ventilated for 15 min after receiving monoclonal antibody. ×5,500. B: destruction and desquamation of alveolar epithelium leading to direct exposure of interstitial tissue to alveolar space (arrow), which contains necrotic material (N) corresponding to hyaline membranes observed by light microscopy. This animal was ventilated for 120 min after receiving monoclonal antibody. ×10,000.
[View Larger Version of this Image (152K GIF file)]

In animals ventilated for 120 min after instillation of the specific antibody, there was evidence of more advanced injury to type I cells, with necrosis and desquamation leading to direct exposure of interstitial tissue to the alveolar space, which in such areas contained necrotic material (Fig. 3B) corresponding to the alveolar hyaline membranes observed by light microscopy. Some cytoplasmic swelling and mitochondrial vacuolation in type II cells were observed. Many alveolar spaces contained unresorbed fetal lung liquid or edema fluid, and there was also focal intra-alveolar accumulation of electron-dense material, perhaps representing unexpanded lamellar bodies (Fig. 4A). No tubular myelin was identified in the air spaces.
Fig. 4. Details of intra-alveolar spaces showing failure to form tubular myelin after exposure to monoclonal antibody to surfactant protein B. Lead citrate, uranyl acetate, ×55,000. A: lamellar bodies mixed with amorphous material. No tubular myelin was observed in this animal ventilated for 120 min after receiving antibody. B: lamellar bodies with transformation to tubular myelin of normal appearance. This animal was ventilated for 120 min after receiving nonspecific immunoglobulin G.
[View Larger Version of this Image (132K GIF file)]

Control animals ventilated for 120 min after receiving saline or nonspecific rabbit IgG showed minimal focal interstitial edema and some swelling of interstitial cells but no other remarkable findings. There was no evidence of epithelial necrosis. Conversion of lamellar bodies to tubular myelin was observed in the air spaces of control animals treated with saline or nonspecific IgG (Fig. 4B).

Protocol 2. Forty-three of the 48 animals allocated to this protocol survived the scheduled period of ventilation without complications. Five animals were excluded because of abnormal ECG (arrhythmia or atrioventricular block). Survivors had a body weight of 40 ± 6 g and a final heart rate of 308 ± 21 beats/min. Body weight of the five animals with empty tracheal cannula that were killed immediately after the instillation maneuver was 38 ± 5 g. Final values for lung-thorax compliance and PCO2 in heart blood of animals killed at various times are shown in Table 2. These measurements confirm the rapid effect of the antibody, with a significant drop in compliance after 15 min and no further change at later intervals. Compliance was lower for animals receiving nonspecific rabbit IgG or saline than for nontreated controls at 15-60 min (P < 0.01-0.05; data not shown) but remained, throughout the course of the experiment, significantly higher than for animals receiving antibody (P < 0.01).

Vascular-to-alveolar leakage of human albumin and human IgG at various times after administration of the antibody is illustrated in Fig. 5. The kinetics of leakage were the same for both markers, with an equilibrium of ~1.8% in the left lung established within 60 min. Animals in the control groups showed very little leakage, and the differences at 120 min between each of these groups, on one hand, and animals receiving the specific antibody, on the other, were statistically significant for both markers (P < 0.01 for albumin; P < 0.05 for IgG). Light-microscopic examination of lung sections incubated with antibody to human albumin revealed immunoreactive material in the pulmonary vasculature in all animals receiving the marker. There was also immunoreactive material in the air spaces, especially in animals ventilated for 120 min after instillation of monoclonal antibody to SP-B into the airways. Because the permeability markers were measured more precisely in lung lavage fluid by immunodiffusion (see above), we made no efforts to quantify the leak in the histological sections.
Fig. 5. Vascular-to-alveolar leakage of serum proteins determined by immunodiffusion in animals killed at various times after receiving monoclonal antibody to surfactant protein B (SP-B, 40 mg/kg), nonspecific rabbit IgG (40 mg/kg), saline, or no material via tracheal cannula. Right lung was lavaged, and leakage was expressed as percentage of intravenously injected dose of marker recovered in wash. open circle , Treatment, antibody to SP-B; marker, human albumin. bullet , Treatment, antibody to SP-B; marker, human IgG. triangle , Treatment, rabbit IgG; marker, human albumin. black-triangle, Treatment, rabbit IgG; marker, human IgG. square , Treatment, saline; marker, human albumin. black-square, Treatment, saline; marker, human IgG. star , Treatment, none; marker, human albumin. black-lozenge , Treatment, none; marker, human IgG. Values for leakage of albumin and IgG (means ± SD) at 120 min are significantly larger in animals receiving antibody than in each of control groups (P < 0.01 for albumin; P < 0.05 for IgG).
[View Larger Version of this Image (11K GIF file)]

Protocol 3. Thirty-seven of the 40 ventilated animals allocated to protocol 3 survived without complications; these animals had a body weight of 43 ± 10 g and a final heart rate of 251 ± 31 beats/min. Two animals were lost because of pneumothorax developing after 60 and 90 min of ventilation; another rabbit was excluded because of mediastinal emphysema diagnosed after 2 h of ventilation. Final values for lung-thorax compliance and PCO2 in heart blood are shown in Table 2. Compliance values for animals receiving antibody or no material were on the same order as in the other experiments (protocols 1 and 2), and most of the animals treated with nonspecific rabbit or mouse IgG showed no adverse reaction. However, two of the animals receiving rabbit IgG showed a prominent fall in compliance to <0.40 ml · cmH2O-1 · kg-1 already in the first recording after onset of ventilation. Because of this variability, the difference in compliance between the antibody- and IgG-treated groups was not statistically significant.

Cell counts in lung lavage fluid are shown in Table 3. Total cell number was increased significantly in animals receiving the specific antibody, and in these animals nearly all the cells recovered from the air spaces were neutrophilic granulocytes, indicating an acute inflammatory reaction. In most animals receiving rabbit or mouse IgG, cell counts did not differ from nontreated controls. However, in the same two IgG-treated animals that showed a fall in compliance, cell counts were also increased, with a high proportion of granulocytes, as in animals receiving the antibody. Linear regression analysis showed, for the material as a whole, a negative correlation between percent granulocytes in lavage fluid and compliance (r = -0.53, P < 0.001).

Table  3.   Number of inflammatory cells and percent granulocytes in lung lavage fluid
Instilled Material Duration of Artificial Ventilation, min n Total Cell Number, ×104 Percent Granulocytes

1) Antibody to SP-B 120 7 10.2 (0.11-14) 91 (63-99)
2) Rabbit IgG 120 9 1.9 (0.39-8.5) 3.6 (0.3-99)
3) Mouse IgG 120 6 1.2 (0.47-2.0) 15 (1.5-36)
4) No material 0 4 1.1 (0.11-2.8) 1.3 (0.1-2.3)
5) No material 120 15 1.0 (0.14-3.8) 3.1 (0.9-73)

Values are expressed as median and range (in parentheses). Newborn rabbits were treated with monoclonal antibody to rabbit SP-B, nonspecific rabbit IgG, or no material via tracheal cannula. Statistical analysis for total cell number: 2-5 < 1 (P < 0.05-0.01); for percent granulocytes: 2-5 < 1 (P < 0.05-0.01); 4, 5 < 3 (P < 0.05); 4 < 5 (P < 0.05).


DISCUSSION

SP-B is a hydrophobic polypeptide with alternating alpha -helical and beta -sheet domains. The physiological roles of this protein have not been precisely defined, but under in vitro conditions, SP-B (alone or in conjunction with other surfactant proteins) greatly enhances the surface adsorption of surfactant lipids, and physiologically active surfactant substitutes can be made from synthetic lipids and SP-B alone or SP-B + SP-C (for review see Ref. 7). These artificial surfactants (lacking SP-A) exert their function without generating tubular myelin (13). Thus it seems that SP-B is an indispensable component of the surfactant system, although its mode of interaction with the surfactant lipids varies depending on the presence of other components, especially SP-A.

Our present experiments, together with a previous less extensive study using a cross-reacting antibody (16), document that selective blocking of SP-B in the neonatal lung leads to severe acute lung disease, with an immediate fall in compliance to a level comparable to that of surfactant-deficient immature newborn rabbits (~0.40 ml · cmH2O-1 · kg-1) (18), necrosis and desquamation of alveolar epithelium with formation of hyaline membranes, and leakage of serum proteins into the alveolar spaces. All these features, similar to those characterizing the neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), indicate a loss of surfactant function, which, at least in part, can be due to direct inactivation as observed in our pulsating bubble studies (Fig. 2). In addition, surfactant may become inactivated by plasma proteins leaking into the air spaces (5, 9, 17). This leak probably occurs from sites of epithelial injury (15), triggered by shear forces due to defective surfactant function (12) or by an immunologic cascade with activation of complement, recruitment of granulocytes to the air spaces, and release of proteolytic enzymes from the inflammatory cells. Judged from our present data, the leak does not discriminate between albumin and IgG, indicating that the "pores" of the damaged epithelium are significantly larger than the diffusion radius of the markers.

Congenital absence of SP-B or blocking of SP-B with a specific antibody may prevent the normal conversion of lamellar bodies to tubular myelin, an important step in the life cycle of surfactant. Tubular myelin with normal ultrastructural dimensions can be reconstituted in vitro by mixing appropriate amounts of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, unsaturated phosphatidylglycerol, SP-A, and SP-B in the presence of Ca2+ (19, 21). If an antibody to SP-B is added to the same mixture, the lipids aggregate in a more disorganized fashion without forming tubular myelin (20). Similarly, absence or blocking of SP-B could, under in vivo conditions, cause respiratory failure by interfering with formation of tubular myelin in the alveolar lining layer. This could lead to accumulation of "nonexpanded" lamellar bodies in the alveolar spaces, as suggested by observations in our present study (Fig. 4A), as well as in babies with congenital SP-B deficiency (2, 3) and in mice inoculated with hybridoma cells producing antibodies to SP-B (6).

The exudative lesions developing in the lungs of animals exposed to the monoclonal antibody included recruitment of inflammatory cells, mainly neutrophilic granulocytes, to the alveolar spaces. It seems that, in the present experimental model, neutrophils were attracted to and activated at the site of the immune reaction. If this is so, at least some of the tissue injury may have been caused by free radicals and proteolytic enzymes released by the inflammatory cells. Such a mechanism is probably involved in the pathogenesis of the adult RDS (for review see Ref. 14) and perhaps also in neonatal RDS. However, the rapid fall in lung compliance after instillation of the antibody is probably best explained with a direct inactivation of surfactant. Recruitment of leukocytes to the air spaces is a more prominent feature in the present experimental model than in surfactant-deficient immature newborn animals ventilated for 30-60 min without exposure to the antibody (18). In this context, it is of interest to recall the study by Kawano et al. (8) showing that lung injury induced by surfactant depletion in ventilated adult rabbits is nearly abolished if the animals are first made neutropenic by exposure to nitrogen mustard. All these observations indicate that activated neutrophils may play an essential role in the pathophysiology of acute lung injury, also in the case of primary surfactant deficiency, depletion, or inactivation.

In the experiments conducted according to protocol 3, we noted that some animals reacted to nonspecific rabbit IgG with a substantial recruitment of neutrophils to the air spaces; these animals also showed a fall in compliance on the same order as that seen after tracheal instillation of the specific antibody. Such an inflammatory reaction to IgG was not observed in control animals studied according to protocols 1 and 2 or in our previous study (16). Respiratory failure, similar to that elicited by a monoclonal antibody to SP-B, may occasionally develop as a consequence of other immune reactions triggered by the control antibody preparations (batches of nonspecific rabbit IgG used in protocols 1 and 2 were different from those used in protocol 3). Our in vitro data (Table 1, Fig. 2) indicate no direct effects of IgG on the physical properties of surfactant, not even at concentrations of the antibody exceeding that of the surfactant preparation.

In conclusion, monoclonal antibody to SP-B administered into the airways at birth triggers an acute immune reaction characterized by inactivation of surfactant with an immediate fall in lung compliance, necrosis and desquamation of airway epithelium, development of alveolar hyaline membranes, recruitment of neutrophils, and leakage of serum proteins into the air spaces. The pathology and pathophysiology of this form of experimental neonatal lung injury are reminiscent of neonatal and adult RDS and provide indirect evidence of the fundamental role of SP-B in the pulmonary surfactant system.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank Bim Linderholm, Eva Lundberg, and Petru Popa for skillful technical assistance.


FOOTNOTES

   These studies were supported by Swedish Medical Research Council Project 3351, Oscar II:s Jubileumsfond, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the Japan Society for Promotion of Sciences (travel grants to G. Grossmann and B. Robertson).

Address for reprint requests: G. Grossmann, Div. for Experimental Perinatal Pathology, Karolinska Hospital L1:01, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden.

Received 27 March 1996; accepted in final form 14 March 1997.


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0161-7567/97 $5.00 Copyright © 1997 the American Physiological Society



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