ABSTRACT
Pulmonary surfactant research can be arbitrarily subdivided as involving 1) physical and chemical studies in vitro, 2) biological studies in lung cells and tissue, 3) lung functional and mechanical studies in animals, and 4) clinical studies (Figure 5-1). Each of these categories incorporates multiple scientific disciplines. Physical and chemical studies in vitro involve the disciplines of biophysics, organic and physical chemistry, and interfacial phenomena to study lung surfactant composition, surface activity, and component molecular interactions. Theoretical analyses in this category also include principles of thermodynamics, interfacial phenomena, and mechanics. Studies in lung cells and tissue involve the application of cell and molecular biology and biochemistry to examine the synthesis, secretion, and recycling of lung surfactant and its functional components. Mechanical and functional studies in animal lungs in vivo or in situ incorporate the disciplines of physiology, mechanics, and pharmacology, among others, to define the activity of endogenous and exogenous pulmonary surfactants in a more comprehensive manner than feasible or desirable in patients. Clinical studies involve applications from medicine, pathology, pharmacology, biostatistics, and epidemiology in randomized controlled trials and pilot studies that define the therapeutic effects of exogenous surfactants in human disease. The involvement of so many scientific disciplines in lung surfactant research leads to a particularly broad and complex literature, only a fraction of which is cited in the alphabetized references at the end of this book.
