title: Mouse models of asthma: a comparison between C57BL/6 and BALB/c strains regarding bronchial responsiveness, inflammation, and cytokine production.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Animal models of asthma mimic major features of human disease. Since the genetic background of experimental animals might affect hyperresponsiveness and inflammation, we studied its potential influence and the mechanisms leading to differences in strains.
  
  
  METHODS
  We applied a mouse model of allergic asthma to BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BALB/c mice displayed greater levels of airway reactivity to methacholine than C57BL/6 mice. Moreover, BALB/c mice exhibited higher numbers of mast cells in lung tissue when compared to C57BL/6. On the contrary, eosinophil and neutrophil counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) as well as peribronchial eosinophilia were greater in C57BL/6. IL (Interleukin)-4, IL-5, IL-13, and CCL11 levels measured in whole-lung extracts were higher in BALB/c, while, in sharp contrast, CCL11 and CCL5 levels were higher in BALF of C57BL/6 mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed phenotypic differences between C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice in an asthma model with different distributions of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tumors and Developmental Biology, GIGA-Research, University of Liege and CHU of Liege, Belgium. maud.gueders@ulg.ac.be
authors.forename: Maud M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gueders
authors.forename: Genevieve
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paulissen
authors.forename: Celine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crahay
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Quesada-Calvo
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hacha
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van Hove
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tournoy
authors.forename: Renaud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Louis
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Foidart
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Noël
authors.forename: Didier D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Cataldo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000276:immunology*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology*; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016210:Methacholine Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D010047:Ovalbumin