Role of the Vasculature in Compensatory Lung Growth in Adults
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| Figure 1 |
After lung development is complete (~2 years of age in humans; ~2 weeks in mice), the lungs continue to grow in size until adulthood. However, little is known about the regulation of lung growth. An understanding of these mechanisms may be important in treating children with lung growth problems (BPD, lung hypoplasia) and also in stimulating new lung growth in adults, for example in patients with emphysema. In particular, the potential for vascular growth in the adult lung is not well understood.
We have recently published a study in collaboration with Dr Victor Laubach at the University of Virginia examining the vascular growth response following the removal of two or three right lung lobes (figure 1). Our study showed that right lobectomy induced a potent and extensive arterial growth response in the remaining lung of adult rats (Le Cras et al. 2005). However, with removal of three right lobes while arterial growth was observed in the left lung, it did not generate the normal ratio of distal arteries to alveoli, and it also caused vascular remodeling and pulmonary hypertension.
References
Le Cras, TD, LG Fernandez, and VE Laubach. (2005) Vascular growth and remodeling in compensatory lung growth following right pneumonectomy. J. Appl. Physiol. 98:1140-1148
Contact Information
Tim D. Le Cras PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Pulmonary Biology
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
3333 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3039
Phone: 513-636-8151
Fax: 513-636-7868
Email: tim.lecras@cchmc.org
