Strain-induced growth of the immature lung.

To investigate the relationship between strain and postnatal lung growth, two groups of weanling ferrets were tracheotomized: the study group was exposed for 2 wk to a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) of 6 cmH2O and the other group was exposed to atmospheric pressure (control). Total lung capacity after 2 wk was approximately 40% higher in the CPAP-exposed animals than in the control animals (n = 19 for the control group and 18 for the study group; P < 0.01). CPAP exposure was also associated with increases in lung weight and total lung protein and DNA contents. Lung recoil, measured in a subgroup of animals, was characterized by air-filled and saline-filled static expiratory pressure-volume curves. Neither in the air-filled lungs nor saline-filled lungs was there a significant difference between CPAP-exposed and control animals in lung recoil at equal fractions of total lung capacity. These data indicate that mechanical strain was associated with an acceleration of lung growth in immature ferrets. The preservation of volume-corrected lung recoil and the expected contribution of surface forces and tissue forces to lung recoil in CPAP-exposed animals suggest that this response did not involve simple lung distension but included a remodeling of the lung parenchyma.