Polymer Lung Surfactants Attenuate Direct Lung Injury in Mice

If not properly managed, acute lung injuries, either through direct or indirect causes, have the potential to present serious risk for many patients worldwide. One of the mechanisms for the transition from acute lung injury (ALI) to the more serious acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the deactivation of the native lung surfactant by injury-induced infiltrates to the alveolar space. Currently, there are no surfactant replacement therapies that are used to treat ALI and subsequent ARDS. In this paper, we present an indepth efficacy study of using a novel polymer lung surfactant (PLS, composed of has unique properties compared to other tested surfactant replacements, in two different mouse models of lung injury. The results demonstrate that pharyngeal administration of PLS after the instillation of either acid (HCl) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can decrease the severity of lung injury as measured by multiple injury markers.

Automated summary

If handled improperly, acute lung injuries have the potential to pose serious risks to patients worldwide. One mechanism for the transition from acute lung injury (ALI) to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the deactivation of native lung surfactant by injury-induced infiltrates. Currently, there are no surfactant replacement therapies for treating ALI and ARDS. In this paper, the efficacy of a novel polymer lung surfactant (PLS) is studied in two different mouse models of lung injury, showing promising results in decreasing the severity of lung injury.