A Study of Surface Physical Properties of New Surfactant Using Synthetic Peptides of Surfactant Protein-B

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To produce a new generation of artificial pulmonary surfactant(PS), surfactant protein (SP)-B from human PSwas isolated, and the amino acid sequences of these proteins were studied. Artificial peptides of human SP-B were synthesized. New artificial PS preparations which were cornposed of phospholopids and two artificial synthetic SP-B peptides were made, and the surface physical properties of these new PS preparations were tested. METHODS: The purities of SP-B were assessed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel and the amino acid sequences of these proteins were determined. We synthetized two peptides SP-1 and SP-2 and the amino acid sequences were as follows,' SP-1 RMLPQLVCRLVLRCSMD, SP-2 RMLP- QLVCRLVLRCSM. Surface physical properties of newly artificial PSs, which were composed of a mixture of phospholipid(PL) and SP-1 or SP-2(sample A; PL+SP-1, sample B; PL+SP-2), were measured by surface spreading, adsorption rate, and surface tension-area diagram. RESULTS: The amino acid sequence of human SP-B was obtained. We produced the artificial peptides of SP-B and prepared the new generation PS(sample A and sample B). The order of the superiority of spreading and adsorption rate was Surfactenabsorption rate was Surfacten physical properties. However, these new products did not reach the in vitro ideal level of exogenous PS.

CONCLUSION:

We obtained the result of surface physical properties of the new artificial PS. But these properties did not reveal the ideal levels of artificial PS. Further studies will be needed for the development and use of next generation exogenous PS preparations, made by synthetic SP-B peptides.