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Diminished Lung Compliance and Elevated Surfactant Lipids and Proteins in Nutritionally Obese Young Rats

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Abstract

Dietary-induced obesity is associated with increases in lung weight, lung volume, alveolar surface area, and number of lamellar bodies in alveolar epithelial type II cells. This suggests that alterations in lung compliance and surfactant content may also occur. The effects of dietary-induced obesity on lung function and surfactant composition were studied in newborn male rats raised in (1) small litters until weaning and then fed a high fat diet (Obese Group, n = 23) and (2) normal-sized litters until weaning and subsequently fed a normal rat diet (Control Group, n = 29). At age 8 weeks, lung function was measured in anesthetized, spontaneously breathing rats, and surfactant composition was analyzed in lung tissue and lavage fluid. The 8-week-old obese rats had a higher body weight (31%) and fat pad weight/body weight ratio (224%) than the Control Group. When compared with control animals, obese rats had an increased respiratory rate, reduced tidal volume, and decreased lung compliance (dynamic and specific). Disaturated phosphatidylcholine (DSPC) in lung tissue and surfactant pellets (large aggregates) and SP-A and SP-B levels in large aggregates were higher in obese than control rats. Phospholipid, DSPC, and triglyceride contents were also elevated in lung tissue in obese rats, suggesting intracellular lipid accumulation, but low relative to alveolar surface area. Thus, alterations in lung function and surfactant lipids and proteins occur in dietary-induced obesity in young rats. We speculate that intrapulmonary lipid deposition and possible surfactant deficiency relative to alveolar surface area may contribute to the reduction in lung compliance in obese rats.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this study was provided by grants from The Nemours Foundation (#96-082 to LSI) and National Institutes of Health (#HL 49959 to AC). These studies were presented in part at the 1998 annual meetings of the American Thoracic Society and Pediatric Academic Societies (Society for Pediatric Research). The authors are grateful to Ai-Min Wu and Graham Vigliotta for their excellent technical help and Dr. Jeffrey Whitsett (University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH) for providing a generous supply of SP-A and SP-B antibodies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonology, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, 1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, Delaware 19899, USA

    L. S. Inselman

  2. Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    L. S. Inselman

  3. Division of Neonatology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, USA

    A. Chander & A. R. Spitzer

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  1. L. S. Inselman
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  2. A. Chander
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  3. A. R. Spitzer
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Correspondence to L. S. Inselman.

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Inselman, L., Chander, A. & Spitzer, A. Diminished Lung Compliance and Elevated Surfactant Lipids and Proteins in Nutritionally Obese Young Rats . Lung 182, 101–117 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-003-1048-4

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