Comment on Bilayer aggregate microstructure determines viscoelasticity of lung surfactant suspensions by C.O. Ciutara and J.A. Zasadzinski, Soft Matter, 2021, 17, 5170-5182

Abstract

For applications of pulmonary surfactant delivery to the lungs, the question of rheology of the existing clinical formulations is of upmost importance. Recently, Ciutara and Zasadsinky (Soft Matter, 2021, 17, 5170-5182) measured the rheological properties of Infasurf, Survanta and Curosurf, three of the most used pulmonary surfactant substitutes. This study revealed that these fluids are shear-thinning and characterized by a yield stress. The results obtained by Ciutara et al. on Curosurf differ from our results published in Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 2019, 178, 337-345 and in ACS Nano, 2020, 14, 466 - 475. In contrast, we found that Curosurf suspensions are viscous Newtonian or slightly shear-thinning fluids, with no evidence of yield stress. The purpose of this Comment is to discuss possible causes for the discrepancy between the two studies, and to suggest that for biological fluids such as surfactant substitutes, the microrheology technique of rotational magnetic spectroscopy (MRS) can provide valuable results.