Inflammation and ErbB Receptors in Murine Alveolar Epithelial Type II Cells

Background: Insufficient lung maturation and surfactant deficiency are major problems in preterm infants. Prenatal dexamethasone treatment as well as fetal inflammation stimulates surfactant synthesis, clinically evident as a reduction in severity of respiratory distress. ErbB receptors play a crucial regulatory role in fetal surfactant synthesis. The effects of dexamethasone and inflammation on erbB receptor expression pattern are still unclear. Objective: We hypothesized that pre-treatment with dexamethasone, pro-inflammatory (e.g., TNF-alpha), and anti-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-10) influence ligand-ind…