title: Animal models of airway sensitization.
abstract: Asthma is a complex phenotype that involves multiple mechanisms, including adaptive and innate immunity as well as physiological and mechanical changes in the airways. A cardinal feature of asthma is airway hyperreactivity (AHR), a multifaceted reaction that can only be assessed in vivo. Mouse models of asthma replicate many of the features of human asthma, including AHR, which can be assessed using standard protocols. Examination of AHR in mice has provided important information about human asthma, primarily because the immunology of allergy is easily studied in mice, especially with the availability of reagents including genetically modified mice. In this unit we discuss the induction and measurement of AHR and the two most common methodologies: noninvasive measurement using a whole-body plethysmograph (WBP) and invasive measurement of lung resistance and dynamic compliance.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pichavant
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Sho
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goya
authors.affiliation: University Hospital Charité, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Eckard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hamelmann
authors.affiliation: National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, Colorado.
authors.forename: Erwin W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Gelfand
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Dale T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Umetsu
mesh_terms: D000403:Airway Resistance / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000276:immunology; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D002452:Cell Count; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007114:Immunization; D008170:Lung Compliance; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D051379:Mice; D010047:Ovalbumin; D010993:Plethysmography, Whole Body
chemical_list: D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D010047:Ovalbumin