II. Immaturity of the lungs: neonatal perspective-surfactant, assess of lung maturation

Abstract

Surfactant. In 1957 Clements isolated from lung tissue a surface-active material which he called surfactant. It is composed of phospholipid with small amounts of neutral fat, cholesterol, and protein. The primary active molecule is saturated dipalmytoyl phosphatidylcholine. Other components of surfactant, including unsaturated phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol, are important in making surfactant more fluid and facilitating re-spreading. Surfactant lowers surface tension by adsorbing to surface and displacing water molecules. In the lung, the presence of surfactant counteracts the tendency of the lung to collapse at the end of breath, allowing a functional volume of gas to remain in the lung at the end of expiration (functional residual capacity).

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