Short-term ozone exposure affects the surface activity of pulmonary surfactant.

The effects of short-term ozone exposure on the lung function and surface activity of surfactant subtypes isolated from rat lung lavage were studied. Rats were exposed to 0.8 ppm ozone for 2 or 12 hr. The surface activity of surfactant was affected by ozone exposure, whereas distinct morphological changes in bronchoalveolar lavage or in the surfactant subtypes were not observed. Adsorption experiments indicated that bronchoalveolar lavage from rats exposed for 12 hr to ozone remained at lower equilibrium surface pressures than lavage from control rats. These observations suggest interference of inflammatory proteins with the surface film. Extracted surfactant, containing only lipids and surfactant proteins B and C, had a decreased adsorption rate after ozone exposure. These results suggest that the activity of one or both of the hydrophobic surfactant proteins (SP-B and SP-C) was affected by ozone.