Thin and Strong! The Bioengineering Dilemma in the Structural and Functional Design of the Blood-Gas Barrier

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 811-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
John N. Maina ◽  
John B. West
Keyword(s):  
Structural Design ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Functional Design ◽  
Blood Gas ◽  
Lamina Densa ◽  
Gas Barrier ◽  
Disease States ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Main Stress

In gas exchangers, the tissue barrier, the partition that separates the respiratory media (water/air and hemolymph/blood), is exceptional for its remarkable thinness, striking strength, and vast surface area. These properties formed to meet conflicting roles: thinness was essential for efficient flux of oxygen by passive diffusion, and strength was crucial for maintaining structural integrity. What we have designated as “three-ply” or “laminated tripartite” architecture of the barrier appeared very early in the evolution of the vertebrate gas exchanger. The design is conspicuous in the water-blood barrier of the fish gills through the lungs of air-breathing vertebrates, where the plan first appeared in lungfishes (Dipnoi) some 400 million years ago. The similarity of the structural design of the barrier in respiratory organs of animals that remarkably differ phylogenetically, behaviorally, and ecologically shows that the construction has been highly conserved both vertically and horizontally, i.e., along and across the evolutionary continuum. It is conceivable that the blueprint may have been the only practical construction that could simultaneously grant satisfactory strength and promote gas exchange. In view of the very narrow allometric range of the thickness of the blood-gas barrier in the lungs of different-sized vertebrate groups, the measurement has seemingly been optimized. There is convincing, though indirect, evidence that the extracellular matrix and particularly the type IV collagen in the lamina densa of the basement membrane is the main stress-bearing component of the blood-gas barrier. Under extreme conditions of operation and in some disease states, the barrier fails with serious consequences. The lamina densa which in many parts of the blood-gas barrier is <50 nm thin is a lifeline in the true sense of the word.

scholarly journals Comparative physiology of the pulmonary blood-gas barrier: the unique avian solution

2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (6) ◽  
pp. R1625-R1634 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. West
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Complete Separation ◽  
External Support ◽  
Blood Gas ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Gas Barrier ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Pulmonary Capillaries ◽  
The Face ◽  
Flow Through

Two opposing selective pressures have shaped the evolution of the structure of the blood-gas barrier in air breathing vertebrates. The first pressure, which has been recognized for 100 years, is to facilitate diffusive gas exchange. This requires the barrier to be extremely thin and have a large area. The second pressure, which has only recently been appreciated, is to maintain the mechanical integrity of the barrier in the face of its extreme thinness. The most important tensile stress comes from the pressure within the pulmonary capillaries, which results in a hoop stress. The strength of the barrier can be attributed to the type IV collagen in the extracellular matrix. In addition, the stress is minimized in mammals and birds by complete separation of the pulmonary and systemic circulations. Remarkably, the avian barrier is about 2.5 times thinner than that in mammals and also is much more uniform in thickness. These advantages for gas exchange come about because the avian pulmonary capillaries are unique among air breathers in being mechanically supported externally in addition to the strength that comes from the structure of their walls. This external support comes from epithelial plates that are part of the air capillaries, and the support is available because the terminal air spaces in the avian lung are extremely small due to the flow-through nature of ventilation in contrast to the reciprocating pattern in mammals.

Thoughts on the pulmonary blood-gas barrier

2003 ◽  
Vol 285 (3) ◽  
pp. L501-L513 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. West
Keyword(s):  
Wall Stress ◽  
Complete Separation ◽  
South American ◽  
Blood Gas ◽  
Gas Barrier ◽  
Physiological Conditions ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Thoroughbred Racehorses ◽  
Bony Fishes ◽  
Essential Components

The pulmonary blood-gas barrier is an extraordinary structure because of its extreme thinness, immense strength, and enormous area. The essential components of the barrier were determined early in evolution and have been highly conserved. For example, the barriers of the African, Australian, and South American lungfish that date from as much as 400 million years ago have essentially the same structure as in the modern mammal or bird. In the evolution of vertebrates from bony fishes through amphibia, reptiles, and ultimately mammals and birds, changes in the pulmonary circulation occurred to limit the stresses in the blood-gas barrier. Only in mammals and birds is there a complete separation of the pulmonary and systemic circulations, which is essential to protect the extremely thin barrier from the necessary high-vascular pressures. To provide the blood-gas barrier with its required strength, evolution has exploited the high ultimate tensile strength of type IV collagen in basement membrane. Nevertheless, stress failure of the barrier occurs under physiological conditions in galloping Thoroughbred racehorses and also apparently in elite human athletes at maximal exercise. The human blood-gas barrier maintains its integrity during all but the most extreme physiological conditions. However, many pathological conditions cause stress failure. The structure of the blood-gas barrier is apparently continually regulated in response to wall stress, and this regulation is essential to maintain the extreme thinness but adequate strength. The mechanisms of this regulation remain to be elucidated and constitute one of the fundamental problems in lung biology.

scholarly journals Immuno-localization of type-IV collagen in the blood-gas barrier and the epithelial–epithelial cell connections of the avian lung

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 20120951 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Jimoh ◽  
J. N. Maina
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cell ◽  
Type Iv Collagen ◽  
Basement Membranes ◽  
Blood Gas ◽  
Gas Barrier ◽  
Blood Capillaries ◽  
Mechanical Feature ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Mammalian Lung ◽  
Avian Lung

The terminal respiratory units of the gas exchange tissue of the avian lung, the air capillaries (ACs) and the blood capillaries (BCs), are small and rigid: the basis of this mechanical feature has been highly contentious. Because the strength of the blood-gas barrier (BGB) of the mammalian lung has been attributed to the presence of type-IV collagen (T-IVc), localization of T-IVc in the basement membranes (BM) of the BGB and the epithelial–epithelial cell connections (E-ECCs) of the exchange tissue of the lung of the avian (chicken) lung was performed in order to determine whether it may likewise contribute to the strength of the BGB. T-IVc was localized in both the BM and the E-ECCs. As part of an integrated fibroskeletal scaffold on the lung, T-IVc may directly contribute to the strengths of the ACs and the BCs.

Structure, compositon and function of the dermal-epidermal junction: Relevance in cutaneous disease and diagnosis

1989 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 868-869
Author(s):  
K. A. Holbrook
Keyword(s):  
Basement Membrane ◽  
Epidermolysis Bullosa ◽  
Normal Skin ◽  
Lamina Densa ◽  
Inherited Disorders ◽  
Ultrastructural Studies ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Type Vii Collagen ◽  
Attachment Structures ◽  
Matrix Components

The dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ), or basement membrane rone, is the boundary between the epithelial and mesenchymal compartments of the skin; epidermal and fibroblastic cells in these two regions collaborate to synthesire its components. Ultrastructural studies (TEM and SEM) have defined a series of planes or layers (basal epidermal, lamina lucida, lamina densa, sublamina densa) and the morphology and density of attachment structures (hemidesmosomes, anchoring filaments, anchoring fibrils and anchoring plaques) in this region of normal skin. Change in structure of the DEJ provides information about the history of the tissue; reduplication of the lamina densa, for example, indicates a site of cell detachment or migration, or remodelling that accompanies repair of focal damage. In normal skin the structure of the DEJ is stable; in pathologic conditions it can be compromised by the congenital absence of certain structures or antigens (e.g., in the inherited disorders, epidermolysis bullosa [EB]) or by enzymatic degradation (e.g., in tumor invasion). Dissolution of the DEJ can also occur normally during the formation of epidermal appendages (e.g., hair follicles) and as melanocytes and Langerhans cells migrate into the epidermis during development.Biochemical and immunohisto/cytochemical studies have identified more than 20 molecules at the DEJ. These include well known matrix molecules (e.g., types IV and V collagen, laminin and fibronectin) and skin-specific antigens. The latter have been identified by autoantibodies or specific polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies raised against the skin, cultured cells and other epithelia. Some of the molecules of the DEJ are are present in basement membrane zones of many epithelia and thus are considered ubiquitous components (type IV, V, laminin, fibronectin, nidogen, entactin, HSPG, LDA-1, CSP [3B3]). All of them (that have been investigated in developing skin) appear ontogenetically as early as human embryonic tissue can be obtained and their expression is typically normal in patients with EB. The known properties of many of these molecules (particularly the matrix components) suggest functions they might impart to the DEJ: support of an epithelium (type IV collagen), regulation of permeability (heparan sulfate proteoglycan) or facilitation of cell attachment (fibronectin) and movement (laminin). Another group of matrix components and antigens of the DEJ includes molecules that are skin-specific or characteristic of stratified squamous epithelia (type VII collagen=LH 7:2 antigen, bullous pemphigoid antigen, AA3, GB3, KF-1,19-DEJ-1, epidermolysis bullosa acquisita antigen [EBA], AF-1 and AF-2, cicatricial pemphigoid antigen [CPA]) . These molecules are expressed in the DEJ later in development than the first group of molecules, in conjunction with the morphologic appearance of the structure they represent. Their appearance is also coordinated with specific developmental events (e.g., epidermal stratification) and the expression of molecules of differentiation in the epidermis and dermis. One or more of them is typically absent or reduced in expression in the skin of patients with heritable disorders affecting this region. There is no apparent correlation between the location of molecules in the DEJ and the stability of their expression.

scholarly journals Mechanical ventilation-induced alterations of intracellular surfactant pool and blood–gas barrier in healthy and pre-injured lungs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanne-Marie Krischer ◽  
Karolin Albert ◽  
Alexander Pfaffenroth ◽  
Elena Lopez-Rodriguez ◽  
Clemens Ruppert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Blood Gas ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Gas Barrier ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial ◽  
Alveolar Surfactant ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Mean Size ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Injury Progression

AbstractMechanical ventilation triggers the manifestation of lung injury and pre-injured lungs are more susceptible. Ventilation-induced abnormalities of alveolar surfactant are involved in injury progression. The effects of mechanical ventilation on the surfactant system might be different in healthy compared to pre-injured lungs. In the present study, we investigated the effects of different positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) ventilations on the structure of the blood–gas barrier, the ultrastructure of alveolar epithelial type II (AE2) cells and the intracellular surfactant pool (= lamellar bodies, LB). Rats were randomized into bleomycin-pre-injured or healthy control groups. One day later, rats were either not ventilated, or ventilated with PEEP = 1 or 5 cmH2O and a tidal volume of 10 ml/kg bodyweight for 3 h. Left lungs were subjected to design-based stereology, right lungs to measurements of surfactant proteins (SP−) B and C expression. In pre-injured lungs without ventilation, the expression of SP-C was reduced by bleomycin; while, there were fewer and larger LB compared to healthy lungs. PEEP = 1 cmH2O ventilation of bleomycin-injured lungs was linked with the thickest blood–gas barrier due to increased septal interstitial volumes. In healthy lungs, increasing PEEP levels reduced mean AE2 cell size and volume of LB per AE2 cell; while in pre-injured lungs, volumes of AE2 cells and LB per cell remained stable across PEEPs. Instead, in pre-injured lungs, increasing PEEP levels increased the number and decreased the mean size of LB. In conclusion, mechanical ventilation-induced alterations in LB ultrastructure differ between healthy and pre-injured lungs. PEEP = 1 cmH2O but not PEEP = 5 cmH2O ventilation aggravated septal interstitial abnormalities after bleomycin challenge.

Critical Section Selection Methodology for the U.S. EPR™ Standard Nuclear Power Plant

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Se-Kwon Jung ◽  
Adam Goodman ◽  
Joe Harrold ◽  
Nawar Alchaar
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Structural Design ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Safety Evaluation ◽  
Critical Section ◽  
Selection Methodology ◽  
Critical Sections ◽  
The U.S

This paper presents a three-tier, critical section selection methodology that is used to identify critical sections for the U.S. EPR™ Standard Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). The critical section selection methodology includes three complementary approaches: qualitative, quantitative, and supplementary. These three approaches are applied to Seismic Category I structures in a complementary fashion to identify the most critical portions of the building whose structural integrity needs to be maintained for postulated design basis events and conditions. Once the design of critical sections for a particular Seismic Category I structure is complete, the design for that structure is essentially complete for safety evaluation purposes. Critical sections, taken as a whole, are analytically representative of an “essentially complete” U.S. EPR™ design; their structural design adequacy provides reasonable assurance of overall U.S. EPR™ structural design adequacy.

scholarly journals Development and Remodeling of the Vertebrate Blood-Gas Barrier

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Makanya ◽  
Aikaterini Anagnostopoulou ◽  
Valentin Djonov
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Proteins ◽  
Appreciable Amount ◽  
Interstitial Tissue ◽  
Type I ◽  
Blood Gas ◽  
Gas Barrier ◽  
Molecular Control ◽  
Blood Capillaries ◽  
Mammalian Lung ◽  
Avian Lung

During vertebrate development, the lung inaugurates as an endodermal bud from the primitive foregut. Dichotomous subdivision of the bud results in arborizing airways that form the prospective gas exchanging chambers, where a thin blood-gas barrier (BGB) is established. In the mammalian lung, this proceeds through conversion of type II cells to type I cells, thinning, and elongation of the cells as well as extrusion of the lamellar bodies. Subsequent diminution of interstitial tissue and apposition of capillaries to the alveolar epithelium establish a thin BGB. In the noncompliant avian lung, attenuation proceeds through cell-cutting processes that result in remarkable thinning of the epithelial layer. A host of morphoregulatory molecules, including transcription factors such as Nkx2.1, GATA, HNF-3, and WNT5a; signaling molecules including FGF, BMP-4, Shh, and TFG-βand extracellular proteins and their receptors have been implicated. During normal physiological function, the BGB may be remodeled in response to alterations in transmural pressures in both blood capillaries and airspaces. Such changes are mitigated through rapid expression of the relevant genes for extracellular matrix proteins and growth factors. While an appreciable amount of information regarding molecular control has been documented in the mammalian lung, very little is available on the avian lung.

EXERCISE IN THE TERRESTRIAL CHRISTMAS ISLAND RED CRAB GECARCOIDEA NATALIS - BLOOD GAS TRANSPORT

1994 ◽  
Vol 188 (1) ◽  
pp. 235-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Adamczewska ◽  
S Morris
Keyword(s):  
Gas Transport ◽  
Lactate Production ◽  
Circulatory System ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Blood Gas ◽  
Christmas Island ◽  
Exercise Period ◽  
Gas Measurements ◽  
Gecarcoidea Natalis ◽  
O2 Delivery

The respiratory and circulatory physiology of the terrestrial Christmas Island red crab Gecarcoidea natalis was investigated with respect to exercise in the context of its annual breeding migration. Red crabs were allowed to walk for predetermined periods of up to 45 min. During this exercise period, blood gas measurements were made on venous, pulmonary and arterial samples to assess the function of the lungs in gas exchange and the performance of the circulatory system in gas transport and to determine the role and importance of the haemocyanin. The lungs of G. natalis were very efficient at O2 uptake, pulmonary blood being 80&shy;90 % saturated throughout the 45 min exercise period. The maximum O2-carrying capacity was 1.1 mmol l-1, and haemocyanin (Hc) delivered 86 % of oxygen in resting crabs and 97 % during exercise. Oxygen delivery to the tissues was diffusion-limited during exercise. Indirect evidence, from the changes in haemolymph pH during transit through the lungs, suggested that the lung is the site of CO2 excretion. The Bohr shift was high at high pH (pH 7.8&shy;7.5, phi=-1.23) but decreased at low pH (pH 7.1&shy;6.8, phi=-0.48). The decreased Hc affinity for O2 during the exercise period facilitated O2 delivery to the tissues without impairing O2 loading at the lungs. The decrease in pH was sufficient to explain the change of affinity of Hc for O2 during the exercise period. The marked acidosis (0.8 pH unit decrease) was largely metabolic in origin, especially during sustained locomotion, but less than could be predicted from concomitant lactate production.

Roles of intra- and extracellular carbonic anhydrase in alveolar-capillary CO2 equilibration

1994 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 697-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. A. Heming ◽  
E. K. Stabenau ◽  
C. G. Vanoye ◽  
H. Moghadasi ◽  
A. Bidani
Keyword(s):  
Carbonic Anhydrase ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Excretion Rate ◽  
Blood Gas ◽  
Gas Barrier ◽  
Arterial Pco2 ◽  
Co2 Diffusion ◽  
Chemical Equilibration ◽  
Co2 Excretion ◽  
Alveolar Capillary

Alveolar-capillary CO2 equilibration involves diffusive equilibration of CO2 across the blood-gas barrier and chemical equilibration of perfusate CO2-HCO-3-H+ reactions. These processes are governed by different, but related, driving forces and conductances. The present study examined the importance of pulmonary carbonic anhydrase (CA) for diffusive and reactive CO2 equilibration in isolated rat lungs. Lungs were perfused with salines containing membrane-impermeant or -permeant inhibitors of CA. Measurements of CO2 excretion rate, equilibrated venous and arterial PCO2 and pH, and postcapillary pH and PCO2 disequilibria were used, together with our previous model of CO2-HCO-3-H+ reactions and transport in saline-perfused capillaries (Bidani et al. J. Appl. Physiol. 55: 75–83, 1983), to compute the relevant driving forces and conductances. Reactive CO2 equilibration was markedly affected by extracellular (vascular) CA activity but not by the activity of intracellular (cytosolic) CA. The driving force for CO2 diffusion was strongly influenced by vascular CA activity. The conductance for CO2 diffusion was independent of CA activity. The minimum conductance for CO2 diffusion was estimated to be 700–800 ml.min-1.Torr-1. The results indicate that extracellular vascular CA activity influences both diffusive and reactive CO2 equilibration. However, cytosolic CA has no detectable role in alveolar-capillary CO2 equilibration.

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