Department of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
J Appl Physiol (1985). 2017 Nov 1;123(5):1039-1046. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00243.2017. Epub 2017 Aug 10.
The measurement of lung function in mice and rats is crucial for understanding how well small animal models of pulmonary disease recapitulate human clinical pathology but brings with it the challenge of making accurate measurements in animals as small as a mouse. Overcoming these challenges can be achieved in a number of ways, each based on a model idealization of how the lung works as a mechanical system. Accordingly, it is important to understand the theoretical basis on which an assessment of lung function rests to interpret experimental measurements appropriately. It is also crucial to attend to a number of practical issues that determine the quality of the measurements. The most accurate measurements of lung function in small animals are provided by the forced oscillation technique that provides lung resistance and elastance and its multifrequency generalization known as impedance. Measurement quality is maximized when the greatest possible degree of control is exerted over the amplitude and frequency with which air is oscillated in and out of the lungs, the mean or end-expiratory transpulmonary pressure pertaining to when the oscillations are applied, and the immediate past volume history of the lungs. It is also crucial that no spontaneous breathing efforts occur during the measurement period. Finally, there is no substitute for the skill in animal handling and surgical preparation that comes with practice; such a skill should be in place before embarking on any important series of experiments.
在小鼠和大鼠中测量肺功能对于了解肺部疾病的小动物模型在多大程度上能重现人类临床病理学至关重要，但这也带来了在像老鼠这样小的动物中进行准确测量的挑战。可以通过多种方式克服这些挑战，每种方式都是基于对肺作为机械系统如何工作的模型理想化。因此，了解评估肺功能所依据的理论基础对于正确解释实验测量结果非常重要。同样重要的是要注意一些决定测量质量的实际问题。在小动物中进行肺功能最准确的测量是通过强迫振荡技术提供的，该技术提供了肺阻力和弹性，以及其作为阻抗的多频推广。当对进出肺部的空气的幅度和频率施加尽可能大的控制程度、与施加振荡时相关的平均或呼气末跨肺压力以及肺部的即时过去体积历史时，测量质量最大。在测量期间不发生自发性呼吸努力也非常重要。最后，在进行任何重要的实验系列之前，熟练的动物处理和手术准备技能是不可或缺的；在开始任何重要的实验系列之前，应该具备这种技能。
