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Updated: Aug 7, 2026
The Bovine Lung in Biomedical Research: Visually Guided Bronchoscopy, Intrabronchial Inoculation and In Vivo Sampling Techniques
Published on: July 3, 2014
Non-bronchoscopic sampling and culture of bronchial epithelial cells in children
G M Doherty1, S N Christie, G Skibinski
1Department of Child Health, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Insights
Non-bronchoscopic bronchial brushing safely retrieves viable bronchial epithelial cells from children. This method enables primary cell cultures, advancing research into pediatric airway diseases like asthma.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Cell Biology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- The bronchial epithelium is crucial in pediatric airway diseases such as asthma.
- Obtaining bronchial epithelial cells from children for research is challenging due to the invasiveness of bronchoscopy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility of collecting viable bronchial epithelial cells non-bronchoscopically from children undergoing surgery.
- To establish primary bronchial epithelial cell cultures from pediatric samples.
Main Methods:
- Children undergoing elective surgery provided bronchial samples via non-bronchoscopic bronchial brushing after intubation.
- Epithelial cell yield, type, and viability were compared to adult bronchoscopic samples.
- Primary cell cultures were established from collected pediatric bronchial epithelial cells.
Main Results:
- Non-bronchoscopic bronchial brushing successfully recovered viable bronchial epithelial cells in children.
- Cell recovery was comparable to adult samples obtained via bronchoscopy.
- Primary bronchial epithelial cell cultures were established in 82% of pediatric samples, with no adverse events.
Conclusions:
- Non-bronchoscopic bronchial brushing is a safe and effective method for obtaining viable bronchial epithelial cells in children.
- This technique facilitates the study of epithelial cell roles in pediatric respiratory conditions.
- The method enables consistent primary cell culture for further research.
Background:
The bronchial epithelium is likely to play a vital role in airway diseases in children, such as asthma and viral-associated wheeze. In adults, studies with primary bronchial epithelial cells cultured from samples obtained by fibre-optic bronchoscopy have provided key insights into the role of the epithelial cell. However, it is difficult to justify bronchoscopy in children to obtain epithelial cells for research purposes.
Objective:
To examine the possibility of retrieving and culturing viable epithelial cells using a blind non-bronchoscopic method from children undergoing elective surgery.
Methods:
Subjects were children undergoing elective surgery under general anaesthesia. Following intubation, non-bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage and non-bronchoscopic bronchial brushing were performed. A sheathed bronchial cytology brush was advanced through the endotracheal tube, wedged and then withdrawn 2-3 cm before gentle sampling was used to collect bronchial epithelial cells. Initial samples were used to characterize the number, type and viability of epithelial cells recovered compared to a control group of adults undergoing standard bronchoscopic sampling. Subsequent samples were used to establish primary bronchial epithelial cell cultures in children both with and without wheezing illness.
Results:
A total of 63 children underwent bronchial brushing [38 male; median age 7.1 years (1.0-14.2 years]. Initial samples (n=30) showed recovery of viable epithelial cells comparable to that from a single brush obtained via a bronchoscope in an adult control group (n=11). In 27 (82%) of the subsequent 33 samples obtained non-bronchoscopically from children, primary bronchial epithelial cell cultures were successfully established. There were no adverse effects attributable to sampling.
Conclusion:
We have shown that non-bronchoscopic bronchial brushing is a safe and effective technique for recovering viable bronchial epithelial cells that consistently yield primary cultures. This method will facilitate examination of the role of the epithelium in paediatric disease.
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