Assessment of pathological and physiological changes in mouse lung through bronchoalveolar lavage

In animals, environmental exposure such as toxic chemicals and microorganisms or pathophysiological conditions in respiratory system could result in inflammatory response in their lungs. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a procedure that can be used to collect samples from animal lungs to efficiently evaluate the immune response by examining both the compositions of cells and fluid from lavage. The profile of inflammatory cells in BAL provides a qualitative description of inflammatory response and the secretion in BAL fluid contains proteins of inflammatory mediators and albumin as a quantitative measurement of inflammation and tissue injury in the lungs. A consistent experimental approach on how to lavage mouse lungs and collect samples is important for a reproducible evaluation of pathological and physiological changes in mouse lung especially for the analysis of inflammation.