Particles at the airway interfaces of the lung

Inhaled particles may land on the surface of the lung’s airspaces. Upon making contact with the airway wall, the processes of retention and clearance begin. Particle retention depends on many factors; among these are: (1) particle size, shape, solubility, surface chemistry and elastic properties of both the particles and the lung surface. (2) The anatomical location of the deposition site. (3) The structures with which the particle interacts at the site of deposition, including the surfactant film at the air–liquid interface, the aqueous phase, free cells like macrophages, lymphocytes and granulocytes, the epithelial cells and dendritic cells that reside at the basal side of the epithelium. Particles, after their deposition are wetted and displaced towards the epithelium by the surfactant film during the retention process. In vitro experiments have demonstrated that the extent of particle immersion depends on the surface tension of the surfactant film. The lower the surface tension, the greater is the immersion of the particles into the aqueous phase. Experimental results demonstrate consistently greater immersion of smaller particles into a liquid substrate covered with a surfactant film than that for larger particles. The exact mechanism, especially the initial wetting process, is not yet understood and requires further experiments. Line tension is a possible explanation for the dependence of particle displacement on particle size.