title: Assessment of respiratory physiology of C57BL/6 mice following bleomycin administration using barometric plethysmography.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Assessment of deterioration of lung function in animal models of respiratory disease traditionally relies upon quantitating biochemical markers. Plethysmography is a technique for measuring lung function that includes invasive and non-invasive methodologies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study used whole-body barometric plethysmography to characterize change(s) in respiratory physiology of C57BL/6 mice following bleomycin administration.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohorts of animals were culled at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days to semi-quantitatively score the lung for fibrosis, and quantitate levels of hydroxyproline in the lung. We have described in detail the response of C57BL/6 mice to bleomycin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bleomycin-treated mice had reduced minute volume (p < 0.05) and an increased total breathing cycle time (p < 0.0001), which consisted of a shortened inspiration time (p < 0.01) and an extended expiration time (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have demonstrated that plethysmography can be a primary indicator of the development of respiratory disease in the mouse and would thus be suitable in assessing potential therapies since any truly effective treatment should elicit restoration of respiratory parameters in addition to improving traditional biochemical and histological indices of lung function.
authors: Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., Australia.
authors: Phillipa L
authors: PL
authors: Milton
authors: Hayley
authors: H
authors: Dickinson
authors: Graham
authors: G
authors: Jenkin
authors: Rebecca
authors: R
authors: Lim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D001761:Bleomycin; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006909:Hydroxyproline / Q000032:analysis; D008168:Lung / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009929:Organ Size; D010993:Plethysmography, Whole Body; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D001761:Bleomycin; D006909:Hydroxyproline