Corticosteroid induction of phosphatidic acid phosphatase in fetal rabbit lung

Abstract

Summary Prenatal betamethasone therapy is known to reduce the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants. We report that administration of an equivalent dose of this corticosteroid to pregnant rabbits increases phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAPase) activity and the rate of choline incorporation into lecithin in fetal lung. Under these conditions there was no induction of choline phosphotransferase or glycerolphosphate phosphatidyltransferase. These results suggest that PAPase may be a key regulatory enzyme in surfactant synthesis during both normal and glucocorticoid-accelerated lung maturation.