Phospholipid synthesis in lung slices from fetuses of alloxan diabetic rabbits.

To investigate the effect of maternal diabetes on pulmonary phospholipid metabolism, we studied fetuses of rabbit does made diabetic with alloxan. Incorporation of radiolabeled choline into total and saturated phosphatidylcholine was measured in vitro in lung slices from 27.5 days gestation fetuses. No difference in choline incorporation was found between the diabetic and control groups even when disaturated phosphatidylcholine was measured. It was concluded that the previously described physiologic differences (i.e., decreases in lung deflation stability and surface activity of lung lavage) between fetuses of alloxan-diabetic and control rabbits must be due to some mechanism other than imparied phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis by the choline incorporation pathway.