Lung Emphysema
Lung Emphysema - Related Videos
05:48
Lung Fixation under Constant Pressure for Evaluation of Emphysema in Mice
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Cited by 4 •
2019
Presented here is a useful protocol for lung fixation that creates a stable condition for histological evaluate of lung specimens from a mouse model of emphysema. The main advantage of this model is that it can fix many lungs with the same constant pressure without lung collapse or deflation.
09:49
Measurement of the Pressure-volume Curve in Mouse Lungs
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Cited by 47 •
2015
Here we present a protocol to simply and reliably measure the lung pressure-volume curve in mice, showing that it is sufficiently sensitive to detect phenotypic parenchymal changes in two common lung pathologies, pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. This metric provides a means to quantify the lung’s structural changes with developing pathology.
01:23
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease II: Emphysema
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2026
Emphysema, a major phenotype of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is characterized by irreversible destruction of alveolar walls and permanent enlargement of distal airspaces. Unlike chronic bronchitis, which primarily affects the airways, emphysema predominantly involves the lung parenchyma, where structural damage leads to airflow limitation.PathophysiologyIt most commonly results from prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke and other toxic gases, particularly cigarette smoke.
10:37
Automated Measurement of Pulmonary Emphysema and Small Airway Remodeling in Cigarette Smoke-exposed Mice
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Cited by 38 •
2015
The goal of this protocol is to provide automated methods to quantify chronic lung pathologies in a murine model of COPD. The protocol includes exposing mice to cigarette smoke (CS), measuring pulmonary function, inflating the lungs, and using morphometry methods to measure emphysema and small airway remodeling in mice.
07:06
A Simple Method of Mouse Lung Intubation
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Cited by 50 •
2013
This paper describes a striaghforward and efficient method of intubating mice for pulmonary function measurements or pulmonary instillation, that allows the mice to recover and be studied at later times. The procedure involves an inexpensive fiberoptic light source that directly illuminates the trachea.
FAQs
Proteases and oxidants damage elastic lung tissue when their activity exceeds the protection provided by antiprotease and antioxidant systems. Proteases can break down structural components, while oxidants intensify tissue injury. This imbalance allows inflammatory damage to continue over time, helping explain why persistent exposure to inhaled irritants can produce progressive rather than temporary changes.
Antiprotease and antioxidant systems help limit the destructive effects of inflammation in lung tissue. Their importance becomes apparent when immune-cell activity releases more proteases and oxidants than these protective mechanisms can control. Research on this balance provides a mechanistic basis for understanding tissue damage and for considering therapies that target inflammatory injury rather than airflow limitation alone.
Cigarette smoke and other inhaled irritants can sustain inflammation in the lungs, recruiting immune cells that release tissue-damaging proteases and oxidants. The resulting response links environmental exposure to structural injury within the lung. This immunologic connection is important because disease progression depends not only on the initial irritant, but also on the inflammatory processes that follow.
Recurrent respiratory infections are relevant because they may influence the inflammatory environment associated with emphysema. Studying host defense alongside infection helps researchers examine how immune responses and repeated respiratory challenges relate to disease progression. This perspective broadens emphysema research beyond irritant exposure and supports investigation of prevention, diagnosis, and treatments directed at inflammatory or infectious contributors.
Research on Lung Emphysema can show how host defense responses interact with harmful inflammation in the respiratory system. Immune activity is necessary to respond to challenges, yet the associated release of proteases and oxidants can damage lung tissue when protective systems are overwhelmed. This makes emphysema a useful context for examining the balance between defense, inflammation, and injury.
By connecting inhaled irritants, immune-cell recruitment, tissue destruction, airflow limitation, and recurrent infections, emphysema research identifies several points for clinical attention. These findings can support prevention by addressing harmful exposures, improve diagnosis by clarifying disease-related changes, and guide targeted therapies aimed at inflammatory injury or the protective systems that normally restrain it.