ISSN:
0003-276X
Keywords:
Human lung
;
Type II pneumocytes
;
Lamellar bodies
;
Surfactant
;
Electron microscopy
;
Morphometry
;
Organ preservation
;
Euro Collins solution
;
Life and Medical Sciences
;
Cell & Developmental Biology
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Background: Pulmonary type II pneumocytes have been examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and morphometry in numerous mammals. Until now, the fine structure of the human type II pneumocyte has not been studied by means of morphometry.Methods: Eleven human donor lungs, which could not be made available for a suitable recipient, were preserved with Euro Collins solution (ECS) according to clinical organ preservation techniques. The lungs were fixed via the airways. Systematic random samples were analyzed by SEM, TEM, and classical stereological methods.Results: Type II pneumocytes showed normal fine structural characteristics. Morphometry revealed that although inter-individual variation due to some oedematous swelling was present, the cells were in a normal size range as indicated by an estimated mean volume of 763 ± 64 μm3. The volume densities were: nucleus 21.9 ± 2.2%, mitochondria 5.8 ± 0.9%, lamellar bodies 9.8 ± 3.6%, and remaining cytoplasmic components 62.4 ± 2.9% of the cell volume. Since the inter-individual variations in the volume densities referred to the cell may, to variable degrees, reflect the variation in the reference space, the volume densities referred to the constant test point system and the respective volume-to-surface ratios were used for interindividual comparisons. These parameters indicate that lamellar bodies were independent of cellular swelling, while mitochondria nucleus remaining cytoplasmic components increased in size with increasing cell size.Conclusions: Two to 7.5 hours of cold ischemia following ECS preservation do not deteriorate the fine structure of type II pneumocytes of human donor lungs. For reliable assessment of fine structural variation, morphometric parameters are required that are independent of variations in cell size. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Additional Material:
9 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ar.1092430107
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