title: Measuring the lung function in the mouse: the challenge of size.
abstract: Measurement of the effects of drugs, mediators and infectious agents on various models of lung disease, as well as assessment of lung function in the intact mouse has the potential for significantly advancing our knowledge of lung disease. However, the small size of the mouse presents significant challenges for the assessment of lung function. Because of compromises made between precision and noninvasiveness, data obtained may have an uncertain bearing on the mechanical response of the lung. Nevertheless, considerable recent progress has been made in developing valid and useful measures of mouse lung function. These advances, resulting in our current ability to measure sophisticated indices of lung function in laboratory animals, are likely to lead to important insights into the mechanisms of lung disease.
authors.affiliation: Vermont Lung Center, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Room 226, HSRF, 149 Beaumont Avenue, Burlington, VT 05405, USA. Charles.Irvin@uvm.edu
authors.forename: Charles G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Irvin
authors.forename: Jason H T
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Bates
mesh_terms: D000403:Airway Resistance; D000818:Animals; D008168:Lung / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008170:Lung Compliance; D008176:Lung Volume Measurements; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D009929:Organ Size; D010641:Phenotype; D010991:Plethysmography; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests