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Updated: Sep 13, 2025
Evaluation of Respiratory System Mechanics in Mice using the Forced Oscillation Technique
Published on: May 15, 2013
Lung Tissue Compliance Interacts with Smooth Muscle and Drives Hyperresponsiveness in Mice with Experimental Asthma
Sébastien Hecht1, Andrés Rojas-Ruiz1, Magali Boucher1
1Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ) - Université Laval, Pavillon A, Room 2089, 2725, Chemin Sainte-Foy, Québec, QC, G1V 4G5, Canada.
Introduction:
A recent study on BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice demonstrated a clear lack of association between the in vivo response to nebulized methacholine and the degree of airway narrowing ex vivo in a model of asthma induced by a daily exposure to house dust mite over 10 consecutive days. This finding raises the question of which factors determine the methacholine response in vivo.
Methods:
Herein, multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine which baseline physiological characteristics are associated with the methacholine response.
Results:
Among the 10 baseline characteristics studied, and depending on how the methacholine response was monitored during a concentration-response, lung tissue compliance was the most commonly and robustly associated with the methacholine response. Inspiratory capacity was the second most frequently associated.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that lung tissue compliance and inspiratory capacity may be two important determinants of the methacholine response in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice with and without experimental asthma.
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