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Louis Gluck, MD

Am J Dis Child. 1976;130(9):976-978.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Liggins^1.2 first observed during studies on sheep that corticosteroid administration not only induced early parturition (117 to 123 days vs normal 150-day gestation), but that some of the lambs had partially expanded lungs, an unexpected finding as compared to control lamb fetuses of the same gestational age. Other investigators^3-9 have verified and extended these observations in several species (rabbits, sheep, monkeys). Corticosteroids administered to fetuses promote normalization of the pressure-volume characteristics of premature fetal lungs, which is general evidence of acceleration of maturation of the surfactant-producing systems in lung. Elevated concentrations of lecithin in lungs of premature fetuses also have been reported following corticosteroid administration.¹⁰ There is evidence that corticosteroids enhance the activity of the choline incorporation pathway, the major route in the lung for the biosynthesis of lecithin.¹¹

Surfactant plays a crucial role in stabilization of alveoli by lowering the surface tension at the alveolar . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego.

Footnotes
Received for publication Oct 24,1975; accepted Jan 21, 1976.

Reprint requests to Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 (Dr Gluck).

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