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Lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation of bronchi and emphysematous changes of pulmonary parenchyma in miniature pigs (Sus scrofa domestica)

Lab Animal volume 42, pages 86–91 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is widely used to induce chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in animal models. Rodents are most commonly used to model COPD, but their substantial anatomic and physiological differences from humans present a challenge in the research of COPD pathogenesis. The authors induced COPD in miniature pigs by intratracheal administration of LPS solution. They carried out bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and collected the fluid for analyses of white blood cells, cytokines and proteases and obtained lung tissues for histological assessment. Intratracheal administration of LPS caused bronchitis, obstruction of distal bronchi and damage of pulmonary alveoli, as well as increases in white blood cell counts and expression levels of cytokines and proteases. These results are consistent with the presentation of COPD in humans, making LPS administration in miniature pigs a valuable animal model for the research of pathogenesis and treatment of COPD.

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Figure 1: Total white blood cell count and numbers of macrophages, lymphocytes and neutrophils in BAL fluid from miniature pigs after repeated administration of LPS.
Figure 2: Levels of cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β in BAL fluid from miniature pigs after repeated administration of LPS.
Figure 3: mRNA expression levels of proteases ELS-1, MMP-9 and MMP-12 (relative to expression of the housekeeping control GAPDH) in BAL fluid from miniature pigs after repeated administration of LPS.
Figure 4: Photomicrographs of lung sections taken from miniature pigs that received different doses of LPS (10x magnification).

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by Covidien (formerly Tyco Healthcare) and was supported by the program of Application Platform of Miniature Pigs of Shanghai Jiaotong University and Covidien China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China

    Piren Chen, Xiuguo Hua, Zhibiao Yang & Li Cui

  2. College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agriculture University, Nanjing, China

    Piren Chen & Jiafa Hou

  3. Covidien Clinical Institute, Shanghai, China

    Dezhong Ding

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Correspondence to Li Cui.

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Chen, P., Hou, J., Ding, D. et al. Lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation of bronchi and emphysematous changes of pulmonary parenchyma in miniature pigs (Sus scrofa domestica). Lab Anim 42, 86–91 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban.160

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