[Surfactant system of rat lungs in acute hypoxic hypoxia]

It was shown in rat experiments made with the use of a complex of physical and histological methods and qualitative analysis that changes in the pulmonary surfactant system (PSS) during exposure to altitude chamber hypoxia depend on its duration and intensity. The preliminal effect of hypoxia determines the decrease in PSS activity. The increase in PSS activity seems to be the "emergency compensation" that develops in response to the action of the extreme threshold stimulus. PSS activation is related to the structural changes in pulmonary lipids. An abrupt lowering of PSS activity should be treated as the "compensation disturbance" under the effect of the postliminal stimulus. The PSS and pulmonary structure change synchronously under hypoxia.