What may happen if a fetus is unable to produce surfactant by the time it is born?

What may happen if a fetus is unable to produce surfactant by the time it is born?

When there is not enough surfactant, the tiny alveoli collapse with each breath. As the alveoli collapse, damaged cells collect in the airways. They further affect breathing. The baby has to work harder and harder to breathe trying to reinflate the collapsed airways.

What factors can interfere with the production of surfactant?

The influence of the following hormones and other factors on lung maturation and surfactant production is discussed: glucocorticoids, thyroid hormone, estrogen, prolactin, cyclic AMP, beta-adrenergic and cholinergic agonists, prostaglandins and growth factors.

At what week does surfactant start being produced during fetal development?

Surfactant is made by the cells in the airways and consists of phospholipids and protein. It begins to be produced in the fetus at about 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy, and is found in amniotic fluid between 28 and 32 weeks. By about 35 weeks gestation, most babies have developed adequate amounts of surfactant.

What does a lack of surfactant cause in babies?

Surfactant is a foamy substance that keeps the lungs fully expanded so that newborns can breathe in air once they are born. Without enough surfactant, the lungs collapse and the newborn has to work hard to breathe. He or she might not be able to breathe in enough oxygen to support the body’s organs.

Does estrogen increase surfactant?

Administration of 17 beta-estradiol to pregnant rabbits accelerates fetal lung maturation and stimulates surfactant production: the hormone increases the amount of surfactant in fetal lung lavage, increases the rate of phosphatidylcholine synthesis, depletes fetal lung glycogen, and accelerates morphologic maturation …

What is the function of surfactant?

Function. The main functions of surfactant are as follows: (1) lowering surface tension at the air–liquid interface and thus preventing alveolar collapse at end-expiration, (2) interacting with and subsequent killing of pathogens or preventing their dissemination, and (3) modulating immune responses.

What stimulates surfactant production?

Surfactant secretion can be stimulated by a number of mechanisms. Type II cells have beta-adrenergic receptors and respond to beta-agonists with increased surfactant secretion [40]. Purines, such as adenosine triphosphate are potent stimulators of surfactant secretion and may be important for its secretion at birth.

At what week is the baby’s lungs fully developed?

By 36 weeks, your baby’s lungs are fully formed and ready to take their first breath after the birth. The digestive system is fully developed and your baby will be able to feed if they’re born now.

When does surfactant become detectable in the fetus?

The essential lesion is a deficiency of surfactant and it occurs in 1 per cent of all live births but with a greatly increased incidence in premature infants. Surfactant is first detectable in the fetal lung at 20-24 weeks of gestation but the concentration increases rapidly after the 30th week.

What causes the breakdown of surfactant in the neonate?

Abstract. This occurs due to accelerated breakdown by oxidation, proteolytic degradation, inhibition or inherited defects of surfactant metabolism. Prenatal corticosteroids, surfactant replacement, whole lung lavage and lung transplantation have yielded results in managing some of these defects.

Where does surfactant come from in the human body?

Surfactant is a complex mixture of lipids and proteins, synthesized by type II cells of the alveoli of the lungs from about 34 weeks of gestation. It is secreted into the thin layer of liquid that coats the alveoli, to form a covering surface monolayer.In utero, it diffuses from the lungs into the amniotic fluid.

How is gene therapy used to treat surfactant?

Gene therapy could prove valuable in treating inherited defects of surfactant metabolism. Keywords: Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, Phospholipids, Prematurity, Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Surface tension, Surfactant, Surfactant proteins, Thyroid transcription factor-1, Type II alveolar cells Introduction I. OVERVIEW OF SURFACTANT