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PMID: 11806839 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Review

The role of surfactant in asthma.

Respiratory research ·Vol. 3 ·2002-00-00 ·Pages 4

Hohlfeld JM

Abstract

Pulmonary surfactant is a unique mixture of lipids and surfactant-specific proteins that covers the entire alveolar surface of the lungs. Surfactant is not restricted to the alveolar compartment; it also reaches terminal conducting airways and is present in upper airway secretions. While the role of surfactant in the alveolar compartment has been intensively elucidated both in health and disease states, the possible role of surfactant in the airways requires further research. This review summarizes the current knowledge on surfactant functions regarding the airway compartment and highlights the impact of various surfactant components on allergic inflammation in asthma.

MeSH Terms
Animals Asthma/drug therapy,physiopathology Humans Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins/pharmacology,physiology,therapeutic use Pulmonary Surfactants/pharmacology,therapeutic use Surface Tension/drug effects
Chemicals
Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins Pulmonary Surfactants
Authors & Affiliations
1 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Hohlfeld Jens M
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology and Aerosol Research, Hannover, Germany. [email protected]
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Article Info
Journal
Respiratory research
Abbr.
Respir Res
ISSN
1465-993X
DOI
10.1186/rr176
Email
[email protected]
Published
2002-00-00
Epub
2001-00-15
Pages
4
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
101090633
PMCID
PMC64815
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1186/rr176 PMC Full Text View journal details
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