ABSTRACT
In order to confirm the alteration and significance of cigarette smoke exposure on SP-A in rats, 20 Wistar rats were assigned randomly to two groups: an N group (n=10), and an S group (n=10). The ultra-structural change was observed by electron microscopy. The number of cells positive for SPA was by immunohistochemically measured. The mRNA expression in the lung tissues was deter-mined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The number of cells positive for SPA of the S group (0.52±0.05) was lower than that of the N group (0.72±0.06) (P<0.05). The lev-els of mRNA of SPA in the lung tissues of the S group (0.3522±0.0512) was significantly lower than that of the N group (0.4432±0.05628) (P<0.05). It is concluded that cigarette smoke alone decreased the level of SP-A and that might have an important effect on surfactant metabolism and the host deense functions of surfactant in the peripheral airways, which might play a crucial role in the devel-opment of chronic obstructive lung disease.