Clinical surfactant preparations mediate superoxide dismutase and catalase uptake by type ii cells and lung tissue. Nieves-Cruz, Bedford, Arnold Rivera, Javier Cifuentes, Gyorgy Pataki, A. Keith Tanswell, Waldemar A. Carlo, Sadis Matalon, and Bruce Freeman. Departments of Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Physiology and Biophysics4, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL; Department of Paediatrics5, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
APStracts 2:0178L, 1995.
Pulmonary surfactant mixtures are rapidly taken up by alveolar type II cells and thus may serve as vectors for the pulmonary delivery of antioxidants enzymes to the alveolar epithelium. We prepared emulsions of Survanta O with superoxide dismutase (CuZn, SOD) and catalase (Cat) and quantified their cellular uptake both in vitro and in vivo. Incubations of fetal lung epithelial cells with an emulsion of Survanta O plus SOD and catalase mixtures resulted in significant augmentation of SOD and catalase activities (12.8 +/- 4.6 SOD/[mu]g DNA; 7.49 +/- 2.21 catalase/[mu]g DNA). These numbers were significantly greater than those obtained in controls (1.8 U SOD/[mu]g DNA; 0.55 +/- 0.52 U catalase/[mu]g DNA), Survanta O alone (0.43 U SOD/g DNA; 0.16 U catalase/g DNA) and SOD and catalase alone (3.47 +/- 5.2 U SOD/[mu]g DNA; 4.24 +/- 3.0 U catalase/[mu]g DNA). Intratracheal instillation of the Survanta plus SOD and catalase mixture resulted in significant augmentation of enzymes by the rat lung homogenates. Confocal microscopic analysis revealed the presence of antioxidant enzymes in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells. We concluded that Survanta O supplementation, in addition to replenishing surfactant stores, can also enhance the delivery of antioxidant enzymes to alveolar epithelium both in vitro and in vivo.

Received 18 November 1994; accepted in final form 15 August 1995.
APS Manuscript Number L333-4.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Lung Cell. Mol.
Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 6 November 95