The physics and physiology of lung surfactants

Langmuir monolayers have provided experimentally accessible models for studies of lung surfactants at the air-alveolus interface since the medical necessity of lung surfactant was demonstrated by the pioneering work of Avery and Clements in the early 1960s. The fundamental goal of these in vitro studies is a molecular level understanding of the relationships between lung surfactant composition, monolayer morphology, and monolayer physical parameters such as minimum surface tension, spreading, viscosity, etc. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.