Serial segmental bronchoalveolar lavage in individual rats

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a well-characterized technique for analysis of cellular constituents of the airways and air spaces, but whole lung lavage requires that the animal be euthanized. We describe a technique of segmental BAL in rats that allows serial measurements of inflammation. A tracheal tube was placed, under direct visualization, in lightly anesthetized animals, and a catheter was passed through the tracheal tube and advanced to a wedge position. Five 0.1-ml volumes of buffer solution were instilled and then withdrawn with gentle suction. In normal rats, the percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils, and mononuclear cells had a high level of agreement in the segmental samples compared with those obtained subsequently by whole lung lavage. In rats with acute pulmonary inflammation, the differential leukocyte counts from segmental samples exhibited patterns of change that differed from those of whole lung lavage; however, most segmental samples were obtained from the left lung base so that regional variability could be minimized in serial studies. Lung mechanics and airway inflammation were not affected by repeated segmental BALs done 2 wk apart.