help button home button
AJRCCM
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Palmans, E.
Right arrow Articles by Kips, J. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Palmans, E.
Right arrow Articles by Kips, J. C.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Vol 165. pp. 1280-1284, (2002)
© 2002 American Thoracic Society

Original Article

Effect of Age on Allergen-induced Structural Airway Changes in Brown Norway Rats

Els Palmans, Nele J. Vanacker, Romain A. Pauwels and Johan C. Kips

Department of Respiratory Diseases, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Els Palmans, M.D., Department of Respiratory Diseases, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. E-mail: els.palmans{at}hogent.be

It remains to be fully established whether allergen-induced airway inflammation and remodeling are influenced by age. The aim of the present study was to compare allergen-induced airway changes in young and adult rats. Brown Norway rats were sensitized at 4 weeks of age (young) or 13 weeks of age (adult) and exposed to aerosolized ovalbumin (OA) or phosphate-buffered saline for 2 weeks. In both age groups OA exposure induced an increase in OA-specific Immunoglobulin E and in the number of peribronchial eosinophils. OA-challenged animals also developed an increase in total airway wall area, enhanced fibronectin deposition, and goblet cell hyperplasia. Both inflammatory and structural alterations were more pronounced in the airways of young compared with adult OA-exposed rats. The number of peribronchial eosinophils was increased in young animals (685.4 ± 75.0 versus 389.9 ± 37.8/mm2 in adult rats; p < 0.001). A higher degree of goblet cell hyperplasia was observed in young rats (65.37 ± 4.68 versus 34.74 ± 3.68/mm basement membrane in adult rats; p < 0.001) and area of fibronectin deposition in the airway wall was higher in young compared with adult animals (5.08 ± 0.46 versus 3.62 ± 0.29 µm2/µm basement membrane; p < 0.005). In conclusion, in young rats airways are more susceptible to allergen-induced inflammatory and structural airway changes.

Key Words: age • airway • inflammation • rat • structure




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Toxicol SciHome page
J. Pauluhn
Brown Norway Rat Asthma Model of Diphenylmethane-4,4'-Diisocyanate (MDI): Analysis of the Elicitation Dose-Response Relationship
Toxicol. Sci., August 1, 2008; 104(2): 320 - 331.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Immunol.Home page
E. W. Gelfand, A. Joetham, Z.-H. Cui, A. Balhorn, K. Takeda, C. Taube, and A. Dakhama
Induction and Maintenance of Airway Responsiveness to Allergen Challenge Are Determined at the Age of Initial Sensitization
J. Immunol., July 15, 2004; 173(2): 1298 - 1306.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.Home page
M. J. Tobin
Asthma, Airway Biology, and Nasal Disorders in AJRCCM 2002
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., February 1, 2003; 167(3): 319 - 332.
[Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Proc. Am. Thorac. Soc. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol.
Copyright © 2002 American Thoracic Society 		  Membership Renewal