Abstract
To further study the effects of glucocorticoids and thyroid hormones in fetal lung, we cultured human lung (16-22wk) for 4-8d as explants in serum-free Waymouth's medium with 95% air/5% CO2. Effects of dexamethasone (Dex, 10 nM) and T3 (2 nM) on phosphatidylcholine (PC) synthesis varied with precursor (Table).
The additive hormonal effect occurred over a range of choline concentrations, did not alter the distribution of label among acid-soluble precursors, and correlated with tissue saturated PC content. Dex, but not T3, altered the distribution of precursor among phospholipids; compared to controls, glycerol incorporated more into PG (13.5 vs 4.9%) and less into PI (13.1 vs 18.9%), and acetate incorporated more into PC (81.5 vs 73.1%) and less into sphingomyelin (2.1 vs 6.3%). By electron microscopy, epithelial cells of treated explants showed less glycogen, many mo amellar bodies, and proliferation of microvilli. We conclude that low concentrations of glucocorticoids and thyroid hormone stimulate surfactant production in fetal lung in the absence of serum or other hormones. The two hormones appear to act at different biochemical sites to produce a synergistic response.
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Gonzales, L., Ballard, P., Ertsey, R. et al. 1395 HORMONES AND SURFACTANT SYNTHESIS IN EXPLANTS OF HUMAN FETAL LUNG. Pediatr Res 19, 343 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198504000-01419
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198504000-01419