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Remarkable Lubricating Capabilities of Amniotic Surfactant
Author(s) -
Hills Brian A.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.734
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1479-828X
pISSN - 0004-8666
DOI - 10.1111/j.1479-828x.1995.tb01866.x
Subject(s) - amniotic fluid , pulmonary surfactant , lubricant , amnion , prom , uterus , membrane , materials science , phospholipid , chromatography , fetus , chemistry , biomedical engineering , obstetrics , composite material , biology , pregnancy , medicine , biochemistry , endocrinology , genetics
Summary: Surface‐active phospholipid (SAPL) extracted from amniotic fluid or elutriated from the chorioamnionic sacs of placentas recovered from normal full term deliveries has been shown to be a remarkable lubricant. Coefficients of kinetic and static friction were reduced to 0.009 by SAPL from amniotic fluid and 0.011 for a membrane extract, even under high load (3 kg/cm 2 ), compared with 0.04 for the best nonbiological boundary lubricants. The antiwear properties were equally remarkable, giving a mean scar diameter under extreme pressure of only 0.76mm for amniotic SAPL and 1.00 mm for membrane extract compared with 0.85‐0.95 mm for aqueous lubricants commercially available. These results support the hypothesis that premature rupture (PROM) is less likely to occur if movement between the fetus and the amnion or between the decidual surface of the uterus and the chorion is well lubricated.