Experimental study of pulmonary surfactant administration to the rabbits' lung grafts

Objective To investigate the protective effects of pulmonary surfactant (PS) in lung transplantation.Methods Forty-eight rabbits were divided into control group (group C),PS1 group,and PS2 group. Rabbit lungs were harvested and preserved at 4 ℃ for 6 h before transplantation. The PS1 group received 100 mg /kg of intratracheal PS before reperfusion,while the PS2 group received the same dosage PS before preservation. Using the hetero-heart-lung transplantation model,pulmonary graft function and airway compliance was assessed every 30 min for 3 h when the model was transformed into self-working state. After finishing the observation,the tissue specimens were taken for analysis of wet/dry ratio (W/D),the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperioxidase (MPO). All values were compared to the control group.Results The two groups treated with PS showed better airway compliance and higher PaO 2 and lower PaCO 2 than group C ( P 0.01 ). The PS2 had better gas exchange function and airway compliance than PS1 ( P 0.05 ). Among 3 groups,the contents of MDA,MPO and W/D in PS2 were lowest,while highest in group C ( P 0.01 ).Conclusions PS administration can improve the lung function and attenuate the ischemia-reperfusion injury after transplantation. The better method of administration PS was treatment before lung preservation.