Publisher: Karger
E-ISSN: 1661-7819|74|1|9-14
ISSN: 1661-7800
Source: Neonatology, Vol.74, Iss.1, 2004-11, pp. : 9-14
Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.
Abstract
Surfactant preparations for the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) that contain phospholipids and small amounts of the two hydrophobic proteins, SP-B and SP-C, are presently obtained from animal lungs. Since structural information about SP-B and SP-C is available, it appears possible to design analogues that can replace the native proteins in synthetic surfactants. SP-C contains a single helix, but analogues with the poly-Val sequence of the native molecule do not fold into a native-like α-helical conformation. However, replacement of all Val with Leu yields efficient folding into a helical structure and Leu-based SP-C analogues effectively accelerate spreading of surfactant lipids and exhibit some physiological activity in animal models of RDS. The inferior in vivo activity of synthetic surfactants containing SP-C only compared to that of surfactant preparations derived from natural sources may be caused by a lack of covalently linked palmitoyl groups in the analogues and/or absence of SP-B. SP-B is significantly larger than SP-C and has a tertiary fold of several amphipathic helices in a dimeric structure. A single simplified amphipathic helical peptide containing only Leu and Lys does not mimic the surface properties of SP-B in vitro. These circumstances make the design of SP-B analogues from solely structural considerations less likely to be successful than in the case of SP-C.
Related content
Hydrophobic Surfactant Proteins and Their Analogues
Neonatology, Vol. 91, Iss. 4, 2007-06 ,pp. :
New Synthetic Surfactant – How and When?
Neonatology, Vol. 89, Iss. 4, 2006-06 ,pp. :
FUNCTIONAL MAPPING OF SURFACTANT PROTEIN A
Pediatric Pathology & Molecular Medicine, Vol. 20, Iss. 4, 2001-07 ,pp. :
SURFACTANT PROTEIN B DEFICIENCY
By Fulton Barbara K. Davis Mary M.
Pediatric Pathology & Molecular Medicine, Vol. 21, Iss. 5, 2002-09 ,pp. :