Mouse Models of Acute Lung Injury

Abstract

Acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS remains a devastating complication of critical illness, resulting in significant annual morbidity, mortality, and healthcare expenditures. Although much is known about the physiology of ARDS, many aspects of its pathogenesis remain incompletely understood, and no effective pharmacologic therapies have been identified to date. Because of this, research focused on ARDS and its preclinical animal model correlate, acute lung injury, remains a priority for scientists focused on lung diseases, critical illness, and trauma. Mouse model systems allow the use of genetic models and a wide range of reagents to pursue highly mechanistic studies into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of acute lung injury. However, the challenges of using mice to study acute lung injury include identifying appropriate, clinically relevant models and integrating cellular and molecular data with physiological measurements of lung injury. This chapter provides a brief review of the advantages and challenges of mouse models and reviews different models of acute lung injury. It also includes practical information on specific methods to help the new investigator develop mouse models of acute lung injury in his or her laboratory.