title: Surfactant dysfunction in SP-A-/- and iNOS-/- mice with mycoplasma infection.
abstract: Surfactant dysfunction was studied in C57BL/6 (B6), B6.SP-A(-/-), and B6.iNOS(-/-) mice with pulmonary mycoplasma infection (10(7) colony-forming units). Cell-free bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from uninfected B6.SP-A(-/-) versus B6 mice had a reduced content of very large aggregates (VLA) and an increase in intermediate large aggregates (ILA), with no difference in total large aggregates (LA = VLA + ILA). However, LA from uninfected B6.SP-A(-/-) versus B6 mice contained less protein and were more sensitive to inhibition by serum albumin and lysophosphatidylcholine in pulsating bubble studies in vitro. Infection with Mycoplasma pulmonis caused significant lung injury and surfactant abnormalities in B6.SP-A(-/-), B6.iNOS(-/-), and B6 mice at 24, 48, 72 h after infection compared with uninfected mice of the same strain. Analyses of time-pooled data indicated that mycoplasma-infected B6.SP-A(-/-) and B6.iNOS(-/-) mice had significantly lower levels of LA and higher protein/phospholipid ratios in BAL compared with infected B6 mice. Infected B6.iNOS(-/-) versus B6 mice also had increased minimum surface tensions on the pulsating bubble and decreased levels of surfactant protein (SP)-B in BAL. These results indicate that pulmonary mycoplasma infection in vivo causes lung injury and surfactant abnormalities that are dependent in part on iNOS and SP-A. In addition, SP-A deficiency modifies surfactant aggregate content and lowers the inhibition resistance of LA surfactant in vitro compared with congenic normal mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
authors.forename: Judy M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hickman-Davis
authors.forename: Zhengdong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: German Alejandro
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Fierro-Perez
authors.forename: Patricia R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Chess
authors.forename: Grier P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Page
authors.forename: Sadis
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matalon
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Notter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D008244:Lysophosphatidylcholines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D037701:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein B / Q000378:metabolism*; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000494:pharmacology; D013500:Surface Tension
chemical_list: D008244:Lysophosphatidylcholines; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037701:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein B; D012709:Serum Albumin; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse