title: Lung compliance and alveolar expansion in the artificially ventilated premature newborn rabbit after maternal treatment with ambroxol.
abstract: Premature newborn rabbits were delivered on day 27 of gestation, with or without antenatal treatment with ambroxol (50 mg/kg/day in maternal injections, on days 24-26). The animals were tracheostomized, kept in body plethysmographs at 35 degrees C, and ventilated artificially for 10 min with 100% oxygen, insufflation pressure 30 cm H2O, frequency 40/min, and varying inspiration time (20, 40, 60, or 80%). Lung-thorax compliance increased with inspiration time in both ambroxol-treated animals and controls, but there was no difference in compliance between treated and non-treated litters. Alveolar expansion, evaluated morphometrically in histological sections, was enhanced in ambroxol-treated animals ventilated with prolonged inspiration phase (60 or 80%); such a difference was not found in the on-treated group. This suggests that antenatal treatment with ambroxol might have a stimulating effect on the synthesis and/or release of factors improving alveolar stability in the premature lung.
mesh_terms: D000551:Ambroxol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001964:Bromhexine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D005260:Female; D008168:Lung / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008170:Lung Compliance / Q000187:drug effects*; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D012119:Respiration; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects; D013909:Thorax / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000551:Ambroxol; D001964:Bromhexine