| Abstract: | Aminophylline (A) administration to pregnant rabbits resulted in accelerated formation of phospholipids, the known important components of pulmonary surfactant [1]. The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of A on one of the pathways involved in the incorporation of palmitic acid into phosphatidyl choline (PC)--the "deacylation-reacylation pathway." A was injected intraperitoneally into rabbit fetuses at 27 days of gestation and its effect on palmitoyl CoA synthetase (PCS) and lysopalmitoyl choline acyl transferase (LPC-AT) were studied. Only LPC-AT was enhanced significantly (P less than 0.05) as a result of direct administration of A. This study supports the suggestions by previous investigators that antenatal administration of aminophylline may prove to be an effective means of enhancing lung maturation by stimulating the formation of pulmonary surfactant production before premature delivery. However, the dose that was used in this experimental study was far more than the usual clinical dose that had been suggested previously. |
