Characterization of pulmonary surfactant from ox, rabbit, rat and sheep

Abstract

Pulmonary surfactants from ox, rabbit, rat and sheep were isolated and analysed. All preparations had a high anenoic phosphatidylcholine content and would produce stable surface tensions of 0.01 N x m-1 or less. Protein content was 8-18% of the dry weights. A number of proteins were observed; their overall composition were high in hydrophobic amino acid residues. Lipid content varied from 79% (ox) to 90% (rabbit) with phosphatidylcholine representing from 58% (sheep) to 83% (rabbit) of the total lipid. The surfactant preparations were rather similar in lipid composition except that sheep surfactant contained about 10% lysophosphatidylcholine. Hexadecanoic acid was the principal fatty acid. It was particularly high in phosphatidylcholine. Phosphatidylglycerol was a minor constituent of all surfactants but phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine was not detected.