RESUMO
Exogenous goat lung surfactant extract (GLSE) was obtained by chloroform-methanol extraction of the centrifuged lung lavage. Four lungs provided around 250 mg of surfactant. GLSE has a phospholipid content of 50 percent, cholesterol of 1.5 percent and protein content under 1 percent. The preparation was bacteriologically sterile and had a shelf life of at least one month at 4 degrees C. Endotracheal administration of surfactant (50 mg/kg) in a rat lung model rendered surfactant deficient by saline lavage, restored the compliance characteristics to normal, thus documenting biological activity of the preparation. The cost of a course of 2 doses of surfactant replacement therapy was estimated to be as low as Rs 500/-. The study opens up the possibility of surfactant replacement therapy for the management of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome in India by an indigenous product at an affordable cost.