The assessment of lung mechanical function in small animals, particularly mice, is essential for many investigations into the pathophysiology of pulmonary disease. The forced oscillation technique applied in anesthetized tracheostomized animals provides the most accurate and specific assessment of lung function but is highly invasive. Unrestrained plethysmography in conscious animals provides a parameter called PenH, but this quantity is actually a reflection of the control of breathing and not lung mechanics. Thus, there is currently no completely noninvasive method available for determining lung function in small animals, despite the continued erroneous use of PenH in this regard. However, our research has shown that unrestrained plethysmography would provide a valid means for following changes in lung mechanical function if it could be coupled to independent measurements of changes in lung volume. Accordingly, the goal of our proposal is to extend unrestrained plethysmography by coupling it to an innovative method of measuring changes in lung volume using orthogonal video images of the thorax. Our studies to date have established the feasibility of this approach, which will form the basis of unrestrained video-assisted plethysmography (UVAP). We will develop and validate UVAP in three specific aims:
SPECIFIC AIM 1 : To develop unrestrained video-assisted plethysmography (UVAP) by incorporating an orthogonal video system for tracking changes in lung volume into a heated and humidified body plethysmograph.
SPECIFIC AIM 2 : To define how mouse preparation and maintenance determine accuracy of lung function measurement by UVAP.
SPECIFIC AIM 3 : To validate UVAP by using it to track changes in airway resistance in mouse models of lung disease. The results of this work will provide researchers with a tool for noninvasively following changes in airway resistance in mice, which should prove invaluable for the rapid screening of large numbers of animals, and for the non-destructive testing of valuable mouse models of lung disease.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
3R01HL067273-06S1
Application #
7822318
Study Section
Respiratory Integrative Biology and Translational Research Study Section (RIBT)
Program Officer
Smith, Robert A
Project Start
2009-06-01
Project End
2011-08-31
Budget Start
2009-06-01
Budget End
2011-08-31
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$22,575
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Vermont & St Agric College
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
066811191
City
Burlington
State
VT
Country
United States
Zip Code
05405
Suki, Bela; Bates, Jason H T; Frey, Urs (2011) Complexity and emergent phenomena. Compr Physiol 1:995-1029
Lundblad, Lennart K A; Rinaldi, Lisa M; Poynter, Matthew E et al. (2011) Detrimental effects of albuterol on airway responsiveness requires airway inflammation and is independent of ýý-receptor affinity in murine models of asthma. Respir Res 12:27
Bates, Jason H T; Irvin, Charles G; Farré, Ramon et al. (2011) Oscillation mechanics of the respiratory system. Compr Physiol 1:1233-72
Bullimore, Sharon R; Siddiqui, Sana; Donovan, Graham M et al. (2011) Could an increase in airway smooth muscle shortening velocity cause airway hyperresponsiveness? Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 300:L121-31
Bates, Jason H T; Rincon, Mercedes; Irvin, Charles G (2009) Animal models of asthma. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 297:L401-10
Bates, Jason H T (2009) Pulmonary mechanics: a system identification perspective. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2009:170-2
Irvin, Charles G; Bates, Jason H T (2009) Physiologic dysfunction of the asthmatic lung: what's going on down there, anyway? Proc Am Thorac Soc 6:306-11
Bates, J H T; Bullimore, S R; Politi, A Z et al. (2009) Transient oscillatory force-length behavior of activated airway smooth muscle. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 297:L362-72
Bates, Jason H T; Suki, Bela (2008) Assessment of peripheral lung mechanics. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 163:54-63
Suki, Bela; Bates, Jason H T (2008) Extracellular matrix mechanics in lung parenchymal diseases. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 163:33-43

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