Synthetic protein analogues in artificial surfactants.
Today, airway instillation of surfactant preparations is a generally used treatment for respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants. Most commercially available surfactants are purified from animal lungs and contain lipids, mainly phospholipids, and about 2% of the hydrophobic surfactant proteins B and C (SP-B and SP-C). During the last half-decade the main structural properties of these proteins have been clarified and this knowledge now makes it possible to design synthetic analogues for future use in artificial surfactants.
Johansson
J
J
Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Curstedt
T
T
Robertson
B
B
D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry; D011510:Proteolipids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000188:drug therapy
D010743:Phospholipids; D011510:Proteolipids; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants