# LUNG PHOSPHOLIPID APPEARANCE AND STABILITY

> **NIH NIH R37** · LUNDQUIST INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL INNOVATION AT HARBOR-UCLA MEDICAL CENTER · 1994 · $110,676

## Abstract

The overall goal is to define the catabolic pathways of surfactant
in vivo.  Surfactant clearance rates differ in developing and adult
animals, and rates of clearance and metabolic fate are important
factors that need to be considered in the use of exogenously
administered surfactants for the treatment of respiratory distress
syndrome in preterm infants and for the potential treatment of
patients with the adult respiratory distress syndrome.
Experiments are designed to evaluate possible effects of
exogenous surfactants on endogenous surfactant metabolic
pathways.  These experiments utilize a combination of
intravascular and intratracheal labels to trace the metabolism of
surfactant phosphatidylcholine.  Techniques will be developed to
isolate lysosomes and multivesicular bodies from lung
homogenates and primary isolates of type II cells.  The subcellular
fractionation scheme is designed to recover organelles that are
components of surfactant recycling and catabolic pathways.
These pathways will be probed by tracking radiolabeled surfactant
phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylcholine analogues (lyso
phosphatidylcholine and the ether linked analogue) through lung
and type II cell subcellular fractions.  The radiolabeled analogues
are chosen to permit more specific identification of the pathways
and their function.  The same subcellular fractionation technique
will be applied to lung homogenates and type II cells from animals
treated with radiolabeled surfactant following pretreatment with
agents known to interfere with lysosomal catabolic activity
(amiodarone and/or chlorphenteramine).  These experiments are
designed to evaluate the contribution of lysosomes to catabolism.
Other experiments will combine radiolabeled hydrophobic
surfactant proteins with surfactant to measure the clearance of
the surfactant proteins and their effects on surfactant
metabolism.  These experiments then will be extended to a lung
injury model induced by N-nitroso-N-methylurethane to evaluate
the effects of lung injury on the catabolism and clearance of
treatment doses of surfactant.  The experiments in aggregate will
quantify surfactant catabolic pathways, and the effects of
development and lung injury on those pathways.  By selective use
of tract or treatment doses of surfactant, the results will
characterize both normal pathways and pathways that may be
important following surfactant treatment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2196854
- **Project number:** 5R37HD011932-16
- **Recipient organization:** LUNDQUIST INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL INNOVATION AT HARBOR-UCLA MEDICAL CENTER
- **SAM.gov UEI:** LTJVF4QSFCP9
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael Glenn Ross
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $110,676
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1977-09-30 → 1998-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2196854

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2196854, LUNG PHOSPHOLIPID APPEARANCE AND STABILITY (5R37HD011932-16). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2196854. Licensed CC0.

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