Alveoli increase in number but not size from birth to adulthood in rhesus monkeys.
Postnatal developmental stages of lung parenchyma in rhesus monkeys is about one-third that of humans. Alveoli in humans are reported to be formed up to 8 yr of age. We used design-based stereological methods to estimate the number of alveoli (N(alv)) in male and female rhesus monkeys over the first 7 yr of life. Twenty-six rhesus monkeys (13 males ranging in age from 4 to 1,920 days and lung volumes from 41.7 to 602 cm(3), 13 females ranging in age from 22 to 2,675 days and lung volumes from 43.5 to 380 cm(3)) were necropsied and lungs fixed, isotropically oriented, fractionated, sampled, embedded, and sectioned for alveolar counting. Parenchymal, alveolar, alveolar duct core air, and interalveolar septal tissue volumes increased rapidly during the first 2 yr with slowed growth from 2 to 7 yr. The rate of change was greater in males than females. N(alv) also showed consistent growth throughout the study, with increases in N(alv) best predicted by increases in lung volume. However, mean alveolar volume showed little relationship with age, lung volume, or body weight but was larger in females and showed a greater size distribution than in males. Alveoli increase in number but not volume throughout postnatal development in rhesus monkeys.
Hyde
Dallas M
DM
California National Primate Research Center, One Shields Ave., University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA. dmhyde@primate.ucdavis.edu
Blozis
Shelley A
SA
Avdalovic
Mark V
MV
Putney
Lei F
LF
Dettorre
Rachel
R
Quesenberry
Nathanial J
NJ
Singh
Paramjit
P
Tyler
Nancy K
NK
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000196:embryology*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics