Serial segmental bronchoalveolar lavage in individual rats.
Varner, Arthur E., Aparna Kumar, Michael R. Kaplan, Robert F.
Lemanske, Jr., Ronald L. Sorkness.
*Division of Allergy and Immunology, Departments of Pediatrics and
Medicine, and _School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin, Madison
WI, 53792.
APStracts 6:0241A, 1999.
Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a well-characterized technique for
analysis of cellular constituents of the airways and air spaces, but
whole lung lavage requires sacrifice of the animal. We describe a
technique of segmental BAL in rats that allows serial measurements of
inflammation. A tracheal tube was placed under direct visualization
in lightly anesthetized animals, and a catheter was passed through
the tracheal tube and advanced to a wedge position. Five 0.1 ml
volumes of buffer solution were instilled, then withdrawn with gentle
suction. In normal rats, the percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils
and mononuclear cells had a high level of agreement in the segmental
samples compared with those obtained subsequently by whole lung
lavage. In rats with acute pulmonary inflammation, the differential
leukocyte counts from segmental samples exhibited patterns of change
that differed from whole lung lavage; however, most segmental samples
were obtained from the left lung base, so that regional variability
could be minimized in serial studies. Lung mechanics and airway
inflammation were not affected by repeated segmental BAL_s done two
weeks apart.
Received 27 March 1998; accepted in final form 24 May 1999.
APS Manuscript Number A276-8.
Article publication pending Journal of Applied Physiology.
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1999 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 14 June 1999