What is the role of pulmonary surfactants in respiration?
Pulmonary surfactants are lipoprotein complexes produced in the lungs that are used to reduce the effort in breathing and help prevent the collapse of alveoli. Pulmonary surfactants make expansion of the alveoli easier by lowering the surface tension that holds membranes of different alveoli together and minimizes expansion of individual alveoli. This makes it easier for alveoli membranes to slide against each other when they are expanded to take in air. Surfactants also reduce the chances of alveolar collapse by stabilizing surface tension when an alveoli sac is expanded. When alveoli are expanded the surfactant is spread out more, which increases surface tension. Surface tension is a major contributor to wall tension, which determines if a small alveolar sac collapses into a larger alveolar sac. Collapse occurs when the pressure inside a small alveolar sac (wall tension in relation to the radius of the sac) is greater that the pressure in a larger alveolar sac, forcing the air in a s
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