Changes in surfactant in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid after hemithorax irradiation in patients with mesothelioma

Journal Article · Sun Apr 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · American Review of Respiratory Disease (New York); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1164/ajrccm/141.4_Pt_1.998· OSTI ID:6833552

Hallman, M; Maasilta, P; Kivisaari, L; Mattson, K ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Helsinki (Finland)

Experimental studies have shown that the surfactant system of the lung is affected shortly after irradiation. It is unclear, however, whether surfactant plays a role in the pathogenesis of radiation pneumonitis. In the present study surfactant components (saturated phosphatidylcholine, surfactant protein A, phosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidylinositol) and other phospholipids of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) were studied in four patients with pleural mesothelioma before and during hemithorax irradiation (70 Gy) as well as zero, 1, 2, 3, and 4 months following irradiation. The concentrations of these same components and of soluble proteins were also estimated in the epithelial lining fluid (ELF) using urea as a marker of dilution. After radiotherapy, the concentrations of the surfactant components in ELF decreased to 12 to 55% of the control values before radiation, whereas the concentration of sphingomyelin in ELF increased ninefold. There were small changes in the other phospholipids. The concentration of soluble protein in ELF increased sevenfold. The minimum surface activity of crude BAL increased from 12 +/- 4 to 32 +/- 6 mN/m, and that of the sediment fraction of BAL increased from 7 +/- 4 to 22 +/- 6 mN/m, p less than 0.001. The protein-rich supernatant fraction of BAL from irradiated lung had a inhibitory effect on normal surfactant. There were significant correlations between the increasing severity of the radiologic changes on the one hand and, on the other, the saturated phosphatidylcholine/sphingomyelin ratio (p less than 0.001), the concentrations of soluble protein (p less than 0.001), and the concentrations of the surfactant components (p less than 0.02-0.001) in ELF.

• OSTI ID: 6833552
• Journal Information: American Review of Respiratory Disease (New York); (USA), Journal Name: American Review of Respiratory Disease (New York); (USA) Vol. 141; ISSN ARDSB; ISSN 0003-0805
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560151* -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Man
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BIOSYNTHESIS
BODY
DISEASES
ESTERS
INJURIES
LAVAGE
LIPIDS
LUNGS
MEDICINE
MEMBRANES
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PHOSPHOLIPIDS
PLEURA
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION INJURIES
RADIOLOGY
RADIOTHERAPY
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SEROUS MEMBRANES
SURFACTANTS
SYNTHESIS
THERAPY