[Intra-amniotic administration of pulmonary surfactant improves lung ultrastructural pathology and enhances surfactant protein A expression in fetal rabbits with intrauterine infection].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the effect of intra-amniotic administration of pulmonary surfactant (PS) on the lung ultrastructure and expression of surfactant protein A (SP-A) in fetal rabbit with intrauterine infection.


METHODS
Intra-amniotic PS injection was administered in a rabbit model of premature rupture of membrane and intrauterine infection induced by intrauterine colibacillus injection on the gestational days 24 and 26 days. The lung ultrastructural changes in the fetal rabbits were observed using electron microscope, and the expression of SP-A was measured with immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting 19.5 h after the PS administration.


RESULTS
alveolar type I cell (AT I), alveolar type II cell (AT II). In fetal rabbits with intrauterine colibacillus injection, inflammatory cell infiltration was observed in the pulmonary alveolus, bronchus lumens and intracytoplasm irrespective of PS administration. Compared with those in normal fetal rabbits, the number of alveolar type II cells (AT II) in the lung tissue decreased in fetal rabbits with intrauterine infection, and vacuolization of the lamellar bodies occurred with evidence of cell apoptosis; PS administration resulted in increased number of the AT II cells and lamellar bodies and reduced the cell apoptosis. The expression of SP-A was significantly lower in the infection group than in normal control group (P<0.05), but comparable between the PS group and the control group (P>0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Changes in pulmonary alveolar ultrastructure and decreased expression of SP-A occur in fetal rabbits after intrauterine infection, and intra-amniotic administration of PS can alleviate these changes to promote lung maturation.
Wu
Jing
J
Department of Neonatology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, China. Wujing5515@21.cn.com
Liu
Dong-yun
DY
Liu
Jing
J
Feng
Zhi-chun
ZC
D000650:Amnion; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007267:Injections; D008168:Lung / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000378:metabolism*; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A / Q000378:metabolism*; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011817:Rabbits
D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants