Incorporation of Lung Surfactant Specific Protein SP-B into Lipid Monolayers at the Air-Fluid Interface: A Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction Study.

[摘要] Lung surfactant (LS), a complex mixture of lipids and proteins, lines the alveoli, and is responsible for the proper functioning of the lung (1). LS works both by lowering the surface tension inside the lungs to reduce the work of breathing, and by stabilizing the alveoli through varying the surface tension as a function of alveolar volume. To accomplish this, the LS mixture must adsorb rapidly to the air-fluid interface of the alveoli after being secreted. Once at the interface, it must form a monolayer that can both achieve low surface tensions upon compression and vary the surface tension as a function of the alveolar radius. Insufficient levels of surfactant, due to either immaturity in premature infants, and disease or trauma in adults, can result in respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), a potentially lethal disease in both populations.

[发布机构] Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee

[学科分类] 工程和技术（综合）

[关键词] Lipids;Lungs;Proteins;Air fluids;Diseases