Surfactant protein b expression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of full-term neonates with respiratory distress syndrome.

The aim was to investigate the surfactant protein B (SP-B) expression in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of full-term neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to assess SP-B expression in BALF of 60 full-term neonates with RDS and 23 healthy neonates and correlation of SP-B level with RDS classification according to chest x-ray findings and PaO2/FiO2 before mechanical ventilation in neonates with RDS. The SP-B level was significantly lower in the RDS group (17.63 +/- 6.80 ng/mL) than in healthy neonates (103.95 +/- 6.38 ng/mL) (P < 0.001). The SP-B level correlated positively with PaO2/ FiO2 before mechanical ventilation (r = 0.838, P < 0.001). Moreover, the lower the SP-B level, the more severe was the RDS as determined by chest x-ray (P < 0.001). In conclusion, full-term neonates with RDS had reduced SP-B in BALF, which was related to the severity of RDS, suggesting that SP-B supplement may be an effective strategy in the treatment of RDS in full-term neonates.