Potential Use of Fluorocarbons in Lung Surfactant Therapy

Figures & data

Figure 1 Compression isotherm (surface pressure (π)/molecular area (σ)) of DPPC measured at 26°C under an atmosphere of N₂ (dashed line) and N₂ saturated with PFOB (solid line). Fluorescence images of a) the DPPC monolayer at 15 mN m⁻¹, showing the crystalline domains and b) the DPPC monolayer in contact with gPFOB (30 mN m⁻¹).

Figure 2 Fluorescence images of a DPPC monolayer compressed at 13 mN m⁻¹ under N₂ (upper image). At time t, the atmosphere of N₂ above the monolayer started to be saturated with gPFOB. One can see that the LC domains progressively disappear with time. After 7 min, the monolayer is totally homogenous and fluid.

Figure 3 Diffracted intensity of the grazing X rays, I/I₀, as a function of the in-plane scattering wave vector, q_xy. When compressed at 20 mN m⁻¹, the DPPC monolayer shows the two Bragg peaks characteristic of the tilted LC phase at 1.42 and 1.51 Å⁻¹ (a). When He is saturated with gPFOB the peaks disappear rapidly (b), demonstrating the dissolution of the crystalline LC domains and the rapid re-spreading of the DPPC molecules.