Regulation of lung expansion and lung growth before birth.
Harding, R., and S. B. Hooper.
Department of Physiology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria
3168, Australia
APStracts 3:0108A, 1996.
Our aim is to provide a concise account of the role of physical
factors in controlling the growth and structural maturation of the
fetal lungs. In recent years, a major focus of attention in regard to
fetal lung development has been the functional maturation of
pulmonary epithelial cells and their role in surfactant secretion; in
contrast, relatively little attention has been given to the
regulation of pulmonary tissue growth during fetal development. It
has become recognised that pulmonary epithelial differentiation and
functional maturation are largely under endocrine control (53)
whereas pulmonary tissue growth seems to be strongly influenced by
the physical environment of lung tissue (103,111). In this article we
review the role of physical factors in determining the maintenance of
the luminal volume and growth of fetal lungs and the mechanisms that
may underlie these relationships. We also consider the causes of
fetal lung hypoplasia, and how lung growth deficits may be rectified
by altering the physical environment of the lung in utero.
Received 22 January 1996; accepted in final form 22 January 1996.
APS Manuscript Number A135-6.
Article publication pending Journal of Applied Physiology.
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 13 March 96