Research article expression of surfactant protein-A and D, and CD9 in lungs of 1 and 30 day old foals.

The research article discusses the study of the expression of certain immune molecules in the lungs of one-day-old and thirty-day-old foals which is essential for a deeper understanding of respiratory diseases in horses.

Objective of the Study

• The study aims to analyze the expression of immune molecules like tetraspanins and surfactant proteins in the lungs of foals. Specifically, it focuses on understanding the expression of CD9, SP-A, and SP-D and how it regulates immune responses in the lungs.

Methodology

• For this study, lungs from one-day-old and thirty-day-old foals were scrutinised to examine the expression of CD9, SP-A, and SP-D. The researchers employed both immunohistology and Western blots as techniques for the investigation.

Results and Findings

• Western blot data indicated a significant increase in the protein CD9—but no substantial increase in SP-A and SP-D— in thirty-day-old foals compared to one-day-old ones.
• Immunohistology results displayed presence of CD9 in the alveolar septa and vascular endothelium, but not in the bronchiolar epithelium of the lungs in both age groups.
• Expression of SP-A and SP-D was observed throughout the alveolar septa, including type II alveolar epithelial cells, and the vascular endothelium of the lungs in all foals. There seemed to be an increase in SP-A and SP-D expression in the bronchiolar epithelium of thirty-day-old foals compared to the one-day-old ones.
• Furthermore, pulmonary intravascular macrophages in thirty-day-old foals were positive for SP-A and SP-D. These cells were not developed in the one-day-old foals.

Conclusion

• This study offers the first-ever data on the expression of CD9, SP-A, and SP-D in the lungs of foals, thereby facilitating a deeper and broader understanding of respiratory diseases in horses.