• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.81-85
• /
• 1991

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.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.177-182
• /
• 1983

In order to clarify the effect of the unilateral pneumonectomy on the compensatory growth of the residual lung, liver and kidney, and serum electrophoresis pattern, right lung pneumonectomy was performed on rabbits under general anesthesia with pentobarbital sodium. On the fifth day after the surgery, the weight of the residual lung, liver and bilateral kidneys was measured and organ weight-body weight ratio was calculated. And in an attempt to know whether the cells in the liver and the kidney were proliferated by unilateral pneumonectomy, DNA content was determined. The quantity(g/100 ml) of serum protein was determined also and serum electrophoresis was performed on cellulose acetate membrane. The results obtained are summarized as following. The weight of the residual lung and lung weight-body weight ratio was significantly increased respectively. The weight of the liver and organ weight-body weight ratio were not changed but the DNA content of the liver and kidney tissue increased significantly, illustrating that unilateral pneumonectomy caused cellular hyperplasia in the liver and in the kidney as well as in the residual lung. The quantity(g/100 ml) of serum protein was significantly increased and in the analysis of the electrophoregram, there was significant difference between the normal and pneumonectomy group. Taken together, these results indicate that unilateral pneumonectomy caused the compensatory hyperplasia of the liver, the kidney and the residual lung as well as the change of electro-phoretic pattern. And it also suggests that a humoral factor, which proliferates the cells in the residual lung, the liver and the kidney, existed in the pneumonectomized rabbits.