Synthesis and surface activity of diether-linked phosphoglycerols: potential applications for exogenous lung surfactants

The synthesis of three phosphoglycerols is described, one of which contains the previously unknown phosphonoglycerol headgroup. The surface tension-lowering capabilities of synthetic lung surfactant mixtures containing the PG analogs were measured on the pulsating bubble surfactometer and compared to known controls. The PG-containing mixtures exhibited superior surface tension-lowering properties indicating the significant potential of these analogs as components in synthetic exogenous lung surfactants.