Abstract
Three day old rabbits and newborn rabbits delivered by cesarean section three days post-term following treatment of the doe with human chorionic gonadotropin were injected IV with the labeled phosphatidylcholine (PC) precursors 3H-choline and 14C-palmitic acid. The appearance of labeled PC in alveolar wash surfactant phospholipids (SAPL) was measured by the change in the PC specific activity (SA). PC from 3 day old and 3 day postmature rabbits labeled with either 3H-choline or 14C-palmitic acid was detected after a 3 hour delay, and maximal PC - SA was achieved by about 16 hours. These results are similar to earlier data for premature and term newborn rabbits, but differ from the SA characteristics of adult rabbit surfactant PC; in adults there is a ½ hour delay and 6-8 hour maximal SA pattern. Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) was not detected in the surfactant from newborn rabbits and represented 5% of SAPL of 3 day old and adult rabbits. PG was either absent or present in trace amounts in SAPL from postmature animals. Phosphatidylinositol (PI) content changed from the 10% measured in term newborn and postmature rabbit SAPL to 5% in 3 day old or adult rabbit SAPL. In conclusion: a) the appearance of PC and decrease in PI in SAPL of 3 day old rabbits was not associated with any change in kinetics of labeling of surfactant PC, and b) a delay in maturation of SAPL composition is evident in postmature animals.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
