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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Development of a Neonatal Piglet Acute Lung Injury Model Recreating the Early Environment of Preterm Infant Lungs
Published on: October 31, 2025
Early physiological and biological features in three animal models of induced acute lung injury
Josefina López-Aguilar1, María Elisa Quilez, Octavi Martí-Sistac
1Critical Care Center, Hospital de Sabadell, Corporació Parc Taulí, Institut Universitari, Esfera UAB, Parc Taulí s/n, 08208 Sabadell, Spain. jlopeza@tauli.cat
Introduction:
Critically ill patients often develop acute lung injury (ALI) in the context of different clinical conditions. We aimed to explore differences in early local and systemic features in three experimental animal models of ALI.
Methods:
Mechanically ventilated male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to high tidal volume (VT) ventilation (HVT) (n = 8, VT 24 ml/kg), massive brain injury (MBI) (n = 8, VT 8 ml/kg) or endotoxemia (LPS) (n = 8, VT 8 ml/kg). Each experimental group had its own control group of eight rats (VT 8 ml/kg). We measured arterial blood gases, mean arterial pressure, lung compliance, inflammatory mediators in plasma and their expression and gelatinase activity in the lungs after 3 h of injury.
Results:
Despite maintaining relatively normal lung function without evidence of important structural changes, we observed altered lung and systemic inflammatory responses in all three experimental models. LPS triggered the most robust inflammatory response and HVT the lowest systemic proinflammatory response. The HVT group had higher Il6, Tnf and Cxcl2 mRNA in lungs than MBI animals. Metalloproteinase activity/expression and neutrophilic recruitment in the lungs were higher in HVT than in LPS or MBI.
Conclusions:
The early responses to direct or remote lung insult in our three models of ALI captured different physiological and biological features that could lead to respiratory and/or multiorgan failure.
