Abstract
Top of pageAbstract The role of glucocorticoid in prenatal lung maturity is all important. They act on type II alveolar cells through the intermediary of glucocorticoid receptor (GR.). The evolution and function of the GR in post natal lung growth are unknown. We mesure the lung GR in fetus, infants and children at ages corresponding to different stages of alveolar growth. Human lung tissue was obtained from 9 surgically aborted fetus or stillborn fetus (15 to 28 weeks of gestauonmU ages) and from 6 infants and childrcns (2 months to 9 years) after lobar resection or at autopsy. Rates of GR varied 35 to 300 fmol/mg prot in lung fetus (Kd: 7.7±0.7 nM) and 1 to 30 fmol/mg prot (kd: 10.4±2.9 nM) in infant. The comparison between mean concentrations of GR in fetus (182±87 fmol/mg prot) and in infants or childrens (14.6±9.9 fmol/mg prot) show a significant difference (p < 0.01). The values we recorded in infants and children are little different from GR concentrations reported in adult human lung. The similarity between these results in comparison with values in fetus would suggest that GR have little effects on post natal lung growth and/or maturation.
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