Pulmonary endocrine cells in hypoplastic lungs due to foetal urinary tract obstruction: a microscopic immunohistochemical study.
METHODS
We performed a urinary tract obstruction (UTO) surgical procedure at 93-107 days' gestation in lambs to investigate the relationship between pulmonary hypoplasia and the appearance of pulmonary endocrine cells by quantitative analysis of respiratory tract cells using light microscopic immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
UTO produced a significant reduction in lung weight, lung/body weight ratio, air capacity, air capacity/body weight ratio (p < 0.01) and radial alveolar count (p < 0.05), which indicated the presence of lung hypoplasia. These foetuses also showed a significant increase in the number of neuron-specific enolase (NSE)-positive pulmonary endocrine cells, expressed as the number of NSE-positive cells per bronchus (p < 0.01) or bronchiole (p < 0.05), the number of NSE-positive cells per unit perimeter of bronchus or bronchiole (p < 0.01), and the number of NSE-positive cells per unit bronchial or bronchiolar surface area (p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that UTO significantly retards and modifies the structural growth and functional development of pulmonary endocrine cells in NSE expression. We speculate that pulmonary endocrine cells and their mediators may play a role in the problems associated with UTO during intrauterine life.
Asabe
Koushi
K
The Fetal Treatment Center and Department of Surgery, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A. asabe@fukuoka-u.ac.jp
Jennings
Russell W
RW
Harrison
Michael R
MR
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D008168:Lung / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D012756:Sheep; D014524:Urethral Obstruction / Q000196:embryology*
D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase