Abstract
Fetal lung epithelium secretes fluid into its cavity. This lung fluid plays an important role in fetal lung development, differentiation and growth by providing a positive pressure in its cavity. However, at birth the lung fluid must be cleared for gas (O2and CO2) exchange after birth. Stress at birth elevates the level of blood catecholamine, which stimulates translocation of the amiloride-blockable nonselective cation (NSC) channel to the apical membrane of the alveolar type II epithelium, and also activates the channel, producing an osmotic gradient through stimulation of Na+absorption. This osmotic gradient induces water absorption across the lung epithelium from the lung cavity to the interstitium. However, the regulatory mechanism of the ion channels by catecholamine is still unclear. In this review article, we describe the mechanism of the clearance of the lung fluid by catecholamine, which acts through a beta 2 adrenoceptor in the lung epithelium.
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