Physiological parameters of the isolated perfused mouse lung and their dependency on age

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The " Isolated lung perfusion system " has been established to study lung physiological parameters of mice or other small animals, but little is known about the influence of age on the lung function in mice. METHODS: We used a buffer-perfused lung system with negative-pressure ventilation to study the effect of age on physiological parameters in the isolated mouse lung. Our study included C57BL/6N mice when they were young (3 to 4 months), adult (5 to 9 months) or old (24 months). RESULTS: The ex vivo data indicated that maximal function of the lung is achieved in the early adulthood (5 to 6 months of age). In this period, lung developed highest maximal expiratory flow rate which declined steadily with increasing age. After this age (>7 months) the dynamic lung compliance increased with significant changes in the 24-month-old mice. However, mouse age had no effect on airway resistance and pulmonary artery pressure. Moreover, we did not find an influence of age on the integrity of the endothelial-epithelial barrier. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate the importance of age, in particular on the respiratory mechanics in isolated mouse lungs, which should be considered in the pulmonary research using the " Isolated lung perfusion system " .