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EDITORIAL FOCUS

Alveoli increase in number but not size from birth to adulthood in rhesus monkeys

¹California National Primate Research Center, ²Department of Psychology, and ³Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of California, Davis, Davis, California

Submitted 1 December 2006 ; accepted in final form 8 June 2007

Postnatal developmental stages of lung parenchyma in rhesus monkeys is about one-third that of humans. Alveoli in humans are reported to be formed up to 8 yr of age. We used design-based stereological methods to estimate the number of alveoli (N_alv) in male and female rhesus monkeys over the first 7 yr of life. Twenty-six rhesus monkeys (13 males ranging in age from 4 to 1,920 days and lung volumes from 41.7 to 602 cm³, 13 females ranging in age from 22 to 2,675 days and lung volumes from 43.5 to 380 cm³) were necropsied and lungs fixed, isotropically oriented, fractionated, sampled, embedded, and sectioned for alveolar counting. Parenchymal, alveolar, alveolar duct core air, and interalveolar septal tissue volumes increased rapidly during the first 2 yr with slowed growth from 2 to 7 yr. The rate of change was greater in males than females. N_alv also showed consistent growth throughout the study, with increases in N_alv best predicted by increases in lung volume. However, mean alveolar volume showed little relationship with age, lung volume, or body weight but was larger in females and showed a greater size distribution than in males. Alveoli increase in number but not volume throughout postnatal development in rhesus monkeys.

stereology; parenchyma; alveolar ducts; postnatal development

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