|
|
||||||||
1 Department of Pediatrics, 2 Department of Physiology and Biophysics and 3 Division of Biostatistics, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that maximal bronchoconstriction produces a greater degree of airway narrowing in immature than in mature rabbit lungs (33). To determine whether these maturational differences could be related to airway structure, we compared the fraction of the airway wall occupied by airway smooth muscle (ASM) and cartilage, the proportion of wall area internal to ASM, and the number of alveolar attachments to the airways, from mature and immature (6-mo- and 4-wk-old, respectively) rabbit lungs that were formalin fixed at total lung capacity. The results demonstrate that the airway walls of immature rabbits had a greater percentage of smooth muscle, a lower percentage of cartilage, and fewer alveolar attachments compared with mature rabbit airways; however, we did not find maturational differences in the airway wall thickness relative to airway size. We conclude that structural differences in the airway wall may contribute to the greater airway narrowing observed in immature rabbits during bronchoconstriction.
maturation; lung growth
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
S. Bayat, L. Porra, H. Suhonen, P. Suortti, and A. R. A. Sovijarvi Paradoxical conducting airway responses and heterogeneous regional ventilation after histamine inhalation in rabbit studied by synchrotron radiation CT J Appl Physiol, June 1, 2009; 106(6): 1949 - 1958. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
Z. Xue, L. Zhang, Y. Liu, S. J. Gunst, and R. S. Tepper Chronic inflation of ferret lungs with CPAP reduces airway smooth muscle contractility in vivo and in vitro J Appl Physiol, March 1, 2008; 104(3): 610 - 615. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Bayat, L. Porra, H. Suhonen, C. Nemoz, P. Suortti, and A. R. A. Sovijarvi Differences in the time course of proximal and distal airway response to inhaled histamine studied by synchrotron radiation CT J Appl Physiol, June 1, 2006; 100(6): 1964 - 1973. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Henschen, J. Stocks, I. Brookes, and U. Frey New aspects of airway mechanics in pre-term infants Eur. Respir. J., May 1, 2006; 27(5): 913 - 920. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. S. Tepper, R. Ramchandani, E. Argay, L. Zhang, Z. Xue, Y. Liu, and S. J. Gunst Chronic strain alters the passive and contractile properties of rabbit airways J Appl Physiol, May 1, 2005; 98(5): 1949 - 1954. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. Kovar, K. E. Willet, A. Hislop, and P. D. Sly Impact of postnatal glucocorticoids on early lung development J Appl Physiol, March 1, 2005; 98(3): 881 - 888. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. Ramchandani, X. Shen, S. J. Gunst, and R. S. Tepper Comparison of elastic properties and contractile responses of isolated airway segments from mature and immature rabbits J Appl Physiol, July 1, 2003; 95(1): 265 - 271. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. K. Lambert, R. Ramchandani, X. Shen, S. J. Gunst, and R. S. Tepper Computational model of airway narrowing: mature vs. immature rabbit J Appl Physiol, August 1, 2002; 93(2): 611 - 619. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. Kovar, P. D. Sly, and K. E. Willet Postnatal alveolar development of the rabbit J Appl Physiol, August 1, 2002; 93(2): 629 - 635. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. DUGUET, C.-G. WANG, R. GOMES, H. GHEZZO, D. H. EIDELMAN, and R. S. TEPPER Greater Velocity and Magnitude of Airway Narrowing in Immature Than in Mature Rabbit Lung Explants Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., November 1, 2001; 164(9): 1728 - 1733. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |