Surfactant uptake by alveolar cells: factors affecting lipid uptake in vivo and in vitro

The work presented in this thesis demonstrates the viability of studying the uptake of surfactant with fluorescent labeled liposomes. The results underline the need to study surfactant uptake both in vivo and in vitro, as well as the influence of composition on uptake, the effect of natural hydrophobic surfactant proteins SP-B and SP-C as well as synthetic SP-B analogues, and finally the influence of exogenous surfactant in healthy animals. It is essential to further explore the uptake of surfactant, for example in diseased animals, to clarify regulating factors and finally develop a disease-specific surfactant, whose composition depends on the underlying disease