title: Surfactant phosphatidylcholine in thermally injured pigs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of a thermal injury on pulmonary surfactant phosphatidylcholine kinetics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Random, controlled study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University research laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Yorkshire swine (n = 8) with and without a 40% total body surface area burn.
  
  
  METHODS
  A new isotope tracer methodology was used to quantify surfactant phosphatidylcholine kinetics. Four days after burn, [1,2-13C2]acetate and [U-(13)C16]palmitate were infused continuously for 8 hrs to quantify surfactant phosphatidylcholine synthesis, secretion, recycling, and irreversible loss.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total surfactant phosphatidylcholine pool size was reduced from the control value of 2.65 +/- 0.05 to 1.61 +/- 0.08 micromol/g wet lung in burned animals (p <.05), as was the proportional contribution of palmitate to lung surfactant phosphatidylcholine composition. This reduction was associated with a significant decrease in lung dynamic compliance from the control value of 66 +/- 6 to 55 +/- 6 mL/cm H2O for burned pigs (p <.05). The most prominent response of lung phosphatidylcholine kinetics was a decrease in the total lung phosphatidylcholine synthesis from a control value of 12.7 +/- 1.2 to 5.5 +/- 0.3 nmol phosphatidylcholine-bound palmitate x hr(-1) x g of wet lung(-1) in burned animals (p<.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pulmonary phosphatidylcholine content and palmitate composition decrease after burn injury because of a decrease in the rate of phosphatidylcholine synthesis. These responses likely contribute to impaired lung compliance.
authors.affiliation: Shriners Burns Hospital and the Departments of Surgery and Anesthesiology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: W Z
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Irtun
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Chinkes
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Barrow
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Wolfe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood; D006439:Hemodynamics; D007553:Isotope Labeling / Q000379:methods; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008170:Lung Compliance; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000378:metabolism*; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D011897:Random Allocation; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013552:Swine; D014501:Uranium
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D014501:Uranium