[Lung surfactant: its application to the lung in asphyxia].

This study is a research of the lung in the hypoxic or anoxic state. The examination of lung were performed by light and electron microscopy with the immunohistochemical methods and biochemical analysis of the lung lavage, not only for the morphological appearance of the surfactant but also the changes of its localization and secretion. For the circumstance of hypoxic or anoxic state, gases of carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide and freon were prepared regulating their contents with a fluorometer. In the first stage of the examination, the lung of a rat inhaled the air containing 5% of oxygen showed the so-called tubular myelin which is a lattice-like structure. And this structure was very much like those found in the alveolar space of a new born rat which is lamellar and lattice-like structure coming loosened to a monolayer. This structure is regarded as the morphological expression of the excreted lung surfactant. The appearance of the tubular myelin was observed in the hypoxic state prepared by the gases stated above. By the examination of the lung lavage of rats inhaled the hypoxic air, the contents of phospholipid and protein were showed 2 and 5 times more than those of control rats, respectively. In the human lung which was collected from the dead body diagnosed the cause of death was asphyxia, the tubular myelin was found by the electron microscopy in some cases of the strangulation of the neck, and the immunohistochemical reaction products were also observed by using the anti-human lung surfactant apoprotein mouse antibody, PE10 of SP-A.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)