Characterization of alveolar epithelial cells type II during postnatal lung development in relation to alveolarization – Stereological studies of rat lungs
Fig 4
Various stereological parameters characterizing lung parenchyma and AEII before, during and after alveolarization as well as in adults.
a) Compared to 3 days old rats a significant increase of the total alveolar surface (S(alveoli, lung)) was determined after the end of bulk alveolarization and in adults. This modified figure is reused from PLOS ONE, published first as Fig 3b by Roeder F, Knudsen L, Schmiedl A. The expression of the surfactant proteins SP-A and SP-B during postnatal alveolarization of the rat lung. PLoS One. 2024 Mar 14;19(3):e029. b) The total number of alveolar epithelial cells type II (N(AEII, lung)) shows a significant increase after the end of bulk alveolarization and in adults compared to 3 days old rats. c) During alveolarization the number of AEII per mm2 alveolar surface (N(AEII, lung)/S(alveoli, lung)) decreases continuously reaching the significant lowest values in adults. d) The number of AEII related to lung volume decreases continuously during alveolarization. The significant lowest values are found in adults. Thus, the lung volume increases faster than the number of AEII in the postnatal development.