α-Smooth Muscle Actin Distribution in the Pulmonary Vasculature Comparing Hypoplastic and Normal Fetal Lungs

Abstract

We investigated the intra-acinar pulmonary vascular muscularization in the developing human fetal lung between the 17th and 24th gestational weeks, that is, during the canalicular phase of lung development. Fifteen hypoplastic and 25 normal developed lungs were included in this study using monoclonal α-smooth muscle (sm) actin antibodies for smooth muscle detection. Computer-aided image analysis was performed for morphometrical measurements and statistical evaluation. Alpha-sm-actin-immunoreactive intra-acinar vessels down to a luminal diameter of less than 10μm were detected in hypoplastic as well as in normally developed lungs. Crucial differences presented as follows: significantly higher density of intra-acinar vessels, especially due to α-sm-actin-negative vessels less than 30 μm in luminal diameter, in the control group; significantly higher α-sm-actin immunore-activity per section unit as well as per vessel in the hypoplastic lung group. As suggested by others, α,-sm-actin-positive cells of the intra-acinar vessel wall in the developing human lung were demonstrated to be smooth muscle cells, their immediate precursors, and pericytes. We conclude that the increased α-sm-actin immunoreactivity represents muscularization of the vessel wall in functional terms and may be regarded as one structural cause among others for the establishment of persistent fetal circulation in hypoplastic lungs.

Key Words:

• alpha-smooth muscle actin
• morphometry
• persistent fetal circulation
• pulmonary development
• pulmonary hypoplasia
• pulmonary vascular development