What is the role of surfactant in pulmonary function?
A. Reduces alveolar surface tension, improving gas exchange
B. Increases alveolar surface tension, improving gas exchange
C. Dilates pulmonary blood vessels, decreasing pulmonary vascular resistance
D. Relaxes bronchial smooth muscle, decreasing pulmonary vascular resistance
A
The walls of the alveoli are lined with water and have a tendency to pull toward each other and collapse as a result of high surface tension (surface tension is the attraction water molecules have toward each other). Surfactant, a phospholipid, separates the water molecules, reducing their at-traction for each other and reducing the surface tension inside the alveoli. This reduced surface tension prevents collapse of the alveoli, thus improving gas exchange by having the maximum amount of alveolar surface available for gas exchange.
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