Abstract
At the fifth day after right lung pneumonectomy in New-Zealand white rabbits $(0.8{\sim}1.1\;kg\;B.W.)$, phospholipid and protein concentration in the left lung lavage fluid were measured for clarification of the effect of unilateral pneumonectomy on the secretory function of the type II pneumocytes in growing rabbits. In an attempt to evaluate the effect of unilateral pneumonectomy on the compensatory growth of the residual lung, left lung weight and left lung weight-body weight ratio and DNA concentration, RNA/DNA and total DNA content in the left lung tissue were measured in pneumonectomized and in sham operated control rabbits. The lung weight of pneumonectomized rabbit was approximately two times heavier than that of the control rabbits. DNA concentration and RNA/DNA of the lung tissue were not changed but total DNA content was increased significantly. Phospholipid concentration in the lung lavage fluid of the pneumonectomized rabbits was over two times higher than that of control rabbits. from these experimental results, It is concluded that unilateral pneumonectomy in growing rabbits might cause to increase the secretion of pulmonary surfactant from type II pneumocyte of the residual lung. The cellular hyperplasia seems to be the primary response of the compensatory growing lung in unilateral pneumonectomized growing rabbits.