title: Eustachian tube surfactant is different from alveolar surfactant: determination of phospholipid composition of porcine eustachian tube lavage fluid.
abstract: Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is the main phospholipid in lung surfactant and, more specifically, dipalmitoyl PC (PC16:0/16:0) is the major surface-active component. Several studies have tentatively shown that eustachian tube lavage fluid (ETLF) contains surface-active material. The aim of the present study was to determine, using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, whether the phospholipid molecular species composition of ETLF is similar to that of lung surfactant. PC was the main component of both ETLF and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). The concentration of phosphatidylethanolamine was higher and phosphatidylglycerol was undetectable in ETLF compared with BALF. The molecular species composition of PC in ETLF was notably different from that of BALF, palmitoyloleoyl PC being the major component. Importantly, given its predominance in BALF PC, the concentration of PC16:0/16:0 was low in ETLF. As expected on the basis of this molecular species composition of PC, ETLF did not generate low surface tension values under dynamic compression in a pulsating bubble surfactometer. We conclude that the surfactant in ET is different from lung surfactant, and that low surface tension is not a major determinant of ETLF function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland. rpaanane@cc.oulu.fi
authors.forename: Reija
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paananen
authors.forename: Anthony D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Postle
authors.forename: Graeme
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Virpi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Glumoff
authors.forename: Mikko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hallman
mesh_terms: D015060:1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D005064:Eustachian Tube / Q000737:chemistry*; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000032:analysis*; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines / Q000032:analysis; D010715:Phosphatidylglycerols / Q000032:analysis; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods; D013500:Surface Tension; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D010715:Phosphatidylglycerols; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D015060:1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine