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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
A Refined Aerosol-Based Intratracheal Bleomycin Delivery Method for Reproducible and Minimally Invasive Mouse Models of Pulmonary Fibrosis
Published on: January 16, 2026
Characterization of responses to bleomycin-induced acute lung injury in female BALB/c mice
Jaclynn A Meshanni1, Rachel Sun2, Sydni E Berkihiser3
1Penn Institute for RNA Innovation, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Intratracheal bleomycin (ITB) administration in C57BL/6 J mice is an accepted model for the innate immune system in acute lung injury (ALI) with cell infiltration, alveolar wall thickening, loss of barrier function, and cell activation. We characterize ALI in BALB/c mice to examine how strain affects the immune response. PBS or bleomycin (3 or 4 U/kg) was delivered intratracheally; BAL and lung tissue collected 7 days later. Alterations in histopathology, iNOS and Arg expression, and cell differentials were observed. The observed immune cell phenotypes are consistent with inflammatory activation and macrophage maturation.
Intratracheal bleomycin (ITB) administration in C57BL/6 J mice is an accepted model for the innate immune system in acute lung injury (ALI) with cell infiltration, alveolar wall thickening, loss of barrier function, and cell activation. We characterize ALI in BALB/c mice to examine how strain affects the immune response. PBS or bleomycin (3 or 4 U/kg) was delivered intratracheally; BAL and lung tissue collected 7 days later. Alterations in histopathology, iNOS and Arg expression, and cell differentials were observed. The observed immune cell phenotypes are consistent with inflammatory activation and macrophage maturation.
