Increase of C-Reactive Protein and Decrease of Surfactant Protein A in Surfactant after Lung Transplantation

In this study, we asked whether the serum acute-phase protein C-reactive protein (CRP) increased in large surfactant aggregates after lung transplantation and analyzed the changes in composition and interfacial adsorption activity of those aggregates. Single left lung transplantation was performed in weight-matched pairs of dogs. A double-lung block from the donor animal was flushed with either modified Euro-Collins solution (EC) (n = 6) or University of Wisconsin solution (UW) (n = 6) at 4 ° C followed by immersion in cold EC or UW for 22 h. The left donor lung was transplanted. The recipient dog was then reperfused for 4.5 h. Irrespective of the preservation fluid, gas exchanged was impaired in the transplanted lung after 4.5 h of reperfusion. Large surfactant aggregates obtained from this lung showed reduced ability to rapidly adsorb to an air-liquid interface. Phospholipid (PL) content and PL composition of surfactant from lung transplants was similar to that of the control lungs. However, the content...