Effect of surfactant on bioelectric properties of canine tracheal epithelium

The functional significance of pulmonary surfactant in the airways is not well known and the effects of surfactant on bioelectrical properties of airway epithelium have not been investigated. In the present study, we examined the effect of synthetic surfactant (TR-14) or calf lung surfactant extract (surfactant TA) on transepithelial potential difference (PD) and short circuit current (SCC) in canine trachea. The conductance (G) was calculated as the ratio of SCC per open-circuited PD. The posterior membrane without muscular layer from canine trachea was mounted in an Ussing-type chamber, bathed with Krebs-Ringer buffer solution at 37 degrees C and gassed with 95% O2-5% CO2, pH 7.4. Treatment with mucosal surfactant produced an increase in both PD and SCC in a dose-dependent fashion. PD and SCC reached 132% and 124% of before control at 0.25 mg/ml after the addition of each surfactant respectively, whereas G remained unchanged. Both ouabain and furosemide abolished surfactant-evoked increases in PD and SCC, whereas amiloride did not alter the surfactant-evoked increases. No significant differences in the effect on bioelectric parameters were observed between TR-14 and surfactant TA. These findings suggest that lung surfactant affects bioelectrical properties and changes ion transport (Cl- secretion) across airway epithelium, probably through the activity of ion pumps in the cellular membrane.