Description

ABSTRACT

Wolkowski U, Khatib S, Arieli R. The amount of the settled surfactant

dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) in the heart of rats does not correlate with decompression

illness Undersea Hyperb Med. 2026 First Quarter; 53(1):15-18.

Introduction: The lung surfactant dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) settles on the luminal aspect of

blood vessels to form active hydrophobic spots (AHS). The nanobubbles that develop at these spots are

gas micronuclei from which decompression bubbles expand upon decompression. Variability between

“bubblers” and “non-bubblers” is derived from the variability in the AHS. We expected that the level of

DPPC in the heart would correlate with the severity of decompression illness (DCI).

Methods: Thirty-six rats were exposed to 8 bar for 32 minutes.

Results: After decompression, they were examined for DCI and defined as non-DCI rats (ND, n=18), DCI-

inflicted rats (DCI, n=13), and dead rats (DEATH, n=5). The DPPC concentration in the hearts (mg/g) was

2.97 ± 0.56 SD for ND, 2.87 ± 0.62 SD for DCI, and 2.81 ± 0.46 SD for DEATH.

Discussion: There was no significant difference between the three groups. The results are discussed, and

a further study to explore the correlation between bubbling and heart DPPC is suggested.

Keywords: bubbles; decompression illness; diving; diving research; hyperbaric research

DOI: 10.22462/893