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Breathing properly requires the presence of what compound that affects surface tension of alveoli in the lungs?
The correct answer is Surfactant
What is the detergent-like substance which reduces the surface tension in the lungs?
Surfactant! or 'Pulmonary Surfactant' Just had one of those moments too :)
Reduces the surface tension of the fluid in the alveoli?
Surfactant, a substance produced by type II alveolar cells in the lungs, reduces the surface tension of fluid in the alveoli. This helps to prevent the collapse of alveoli during expiration and facilitates the exchange of gases in the lungs.
What is the protein fat compound that creates surface tension and keeps the walls of the alveoli from collapsing?
The compound is called surfactant, which is a mixture of lipids and proteins. Surfactant reduces surface tension in the alveoli, preventing them from collapsing and allowing for efficient gas exchange in the lungs.
What would happen if surfactant were not present?
Without surfactant, the surface tension of a liquid would be higher, making it harder for a substance to spread or be absorbed. In the human body, surfactant is crucial for reducing surface tension in the alveoli to prevent collapse and aid in gas exchange. Without surfactant, respiratory distress and difficulty breathing can occur.
Why is surfactant important in alveoli?
Surfactant reduces the surface tension within in your lungs, your alveoli have a wet surface and if surfactant were not present they would stick together causing a difficulty in expanding your thoracic cavity-so you wouldn't be able to breath without surfactant.
What substance is made by the lungs to help reduce the surface tension of water in the alveolar?
Pulmonary surfactant...see link for more information.
What is the lipid-based molecule called that coats the air-exposed surface of the alveolus?
The lipid-based molecule that coats the air-exposed surface of the alveolus is called pulmonary surfactant. Pulmonary surfactant reduces surface tension, preventing alveolar collapse and allowing for efficient gas exchange in the lungs.
What causes intra alveolar-surface tension?
Intra-alveolar surface tension is caused by the presence of fluid lining the alveoli, mainly composed of surfactant molecules. Surfactant helps reduce surface tension by lowering the cohesive forces between water molecules, preventing alveolar collapse during exhalation and allowing for efficient gas exchange in the lungs.
What is the role of surfactant in the lungs?
AnswerSurfactant reduces surface tension, so that the alveoli in the lungs are able to expand. It is essentially a biological detergent.Surfactant reduces surface tension. Without surfactant, the wet surfaces of the alveoli in your lungs would stick together and your lungs would not be able to expand - so, you would not be able to breath. The alveoli are the tiny sacs in your lungs where oxygen is captured from inhaled air and absorbed into your bloodstream. They are very small and are have moist surfaces. Wet surfaces stick together due to surface tension, which is caused by the attraction that water has for itself. To demonstrate how strong surface tension is, take two small glass panes, wet them slightly and press them together until there is no air between them. Now try to pull them apart. It's extremely difficult (you usually have to slide them apart because they will not separate otherwise). However, if you mix dish detergent in the water first, it will be much easier to pull them apart, because the detergent is a surfactant - a substance which combines with water and by doing so reduces the surface tension of the water.About three to four weeks before birth, you lungs begin to produce surfactant. When you are born and take your first breath, you have to open the fluid-filled alveoli to allow air in. Without surfactant, this would be nearly impossible, which is which very premature infants have so much difficulty breathing. These very early preemies are given surfactant (either artificial or derived from calf lungs) down a tube going to their lungs, to help their alveoli open and allow air entry.Some medical conditions cause loss of surfactant. In pulmonary edema, fluid from the blood invades and floods the alveoli. Among other problems, this causes dilution and washout of the surfactant, so that alveoli are more likely to collapse. Inflammation of the lungs also causes reduced surfactant production, so again the alveoli collapse due to increased surfaced tension. In cystic fibrosis, excess mucus production displaces the surfactant (and mucus has an even higher surface tension than water). Patients with CF are given extra surfactant to make up for this loss and to provide enough surfactant that it can act on the mucus as well as the normal alveolar fluid.
What is high surface tension in lungs?
High surface tension in the lungs refers to the increased cohesive forces at the air-liquid interface in the alveoli, which can hinder lung expansion and gas exchange. This condition can be influenced by a lack of surfactant, a substance that reduces surface tension and stabilizes the alveoli. Inadequate surfactant production, often seen in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome, can lead to collapsed alveoli (atelectasis) and difficulty in breathing. Managing surface tension is crucial for respiratory function and overall lung health.
Is surfactant a problem in the pleural cavity?
Surfactant is a fluid secreted by alveolar cells in the lungs to reduce surface tension and prevent collapse. Surfactant is not typically present in the pleural cavity, and its presence there could indicate a medical issue such as lung injury or infection.
