The bronchi are part of the lower respiratory tract in horses, serving as air passages that conduct inhaled air from the trachea into the lungs. These tubular structures branch into smaller bronchioles, leading to the alveoli where gas exchange occurs. The health and function of the bronchi are critical for maintaining respiratory efficiency and overall equine health. Conditions affecting the bronchi, such as bronchitis or bronchoconstriction, can impact a horse's respiratory performance and are often a focus in equine veterinary medicine. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology of the bronchi in horses, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for bronchial conditions.
Turk MA, Breeze RG, Gallina AM.The pathologic features of bronchiolitis were studied in horses and ponies from 30 minutes to 27 days after an oral dose of 3-methylindole (3MI). From 30 minutes to 3 hours, lesions were limited to nonciliated bronchiolar epithelial (Clara) cells, which lost apical caps and cytoplasmic granules and had dilated smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). At 12 hours, necrotic Clara cells were exfoliated; degeneration and necrosis were evident, in bronchiolar ciliated cells. Rare epithelial cells with hyperplastic SER appeared on the denuded basal lamina at 24 hours. Inflammatory cells, epithelia, fibro...
O'Callaghan MW, Sanderson GN.A method for performing bronchography in standing nonanaesthetized horses was developed. Bronchography was performed by insufflating the previously intubated trachea with a mixture of 120 to 200 g of finely powdered barium sulphate mixed with 3 to 7 g of powdered methyl cellulose. The mixture was delivered from an ether vaporiser into which compressed air was blown. Premedication with atropine sulphate immediately before insufflation minimised bronchoconstriction. Satisfactory bronchograms with contrast visible down to the seventh and eighth bronchial divisions were obtained in 80 per cent of ...
Derksen FJ, Robinson NE, Slocombe RF, Hill RE.In unanesthetized ponies, arterial blood gas tensions, pulmonary mechanics, and lung volumes were determined before and 24 to 48 hours after oral administration of 500 ml of corn oil or 100 mg of 3-methylindole (3MI)/kg of body weight in 500 ml of corn oil. In the latter group, variables were also measured after bilateral cervical vagotomy. Respiratory rate and minute ventilation were increased by 3MI treatment and decreased after vagotomy, suggesting that the tachypnea induced by 3MI was vagally mediated. The arterial O2 tension (PaO2) was unaffected but arterial CO2 tension (PaCO2) decreased...
Deegen E, Müller P, Petzoldt K.On the basis of cytological similarities in chronic obstructive disease (COPD) in human beings and in horses during 1981 a total number of 144 horses with COPD were examined. Bronchial secretions were taken under endoscopic control and stained with a modified Hansel staining procedure. Whereas 26 horses did not exhibit signs of allergic reactions cytologically and 94 horses showed low amounts of eosinocytes and/or mast cells in their secretion; only the secretions of 24 horses (16,67%) were characterized by fairly high contents of these allergy associated cells and low numbers of neutrophilic ...
George LW, Tanner ML, Roberson EL, Burke TM.A 6-year-old Thoroughbred gelding was examined because of respiratory disease that developed after it was placed on pasture occupied by a donkey. Clinical signs in the gelding included a harsh, dry paroxysmal cough and increased expiratory effort. Eosinophils were seen in smears of mucus aspirated from the trachea and the bronchi. Immature, 5th-stage Dictyocaulus arnfieldi was identified in the tracheal mucus. The cough and other clinical signs were not diminished by corticosteroid therapy or by the administration of bronchodilators. Treatment with 10-fold therapeutic dosages of thiabendazole ...
Slauson DO, Hahn FF.Advances in the understanding of human respiratory disease can come from careful clinical studies of the diseases as they occur in man, but such studies are naturally limited in terms of experimental manipulation. In the last 2 decades, an increasingly complex plethora of experimental respiratory disease models has been developed and utilized by investigators, but relatively less attention has been paid to the naturally occurring pulmonary diseases of animals as potential models. This paper is aimed at presenting selected examples of spontaneous pulmonary disease in animals that may serve as e...
Plopper CG, Mariassy AT, Hill LH.Two morphologic characteristics have been used to define the nonciliated bronchiolar epithelial cell: abundant agranular endoplasmic reticulum (AER) and membrane-bound avoid granules. To assess the ultrastructural homogeneity of this cell type in the lungs of large domestic mammals used as experimental models in pulmonary research, we evaluated lungs of horse, steer, sheep, dog, and cat. Bronchioles of known anatomic location were examined by electron microscopy following fixation by airway infusion at standard pressure and processing by selective embedding techniques. Nonciliated bronchiolar ...
Hanna CJ, Eyre P.Trimetaquinol [TMQ: 1-(3’,4‘,5’-trimethoxybenzyl)6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline hydrochloride] a potential p-sympathomimetic bronchodilator (Iwasawa & Kiyomoto 1967), has been shown to be an effective tracheal smooth muscle relaxant in guineapigs (Iwasawa & Kiyomoto 1967; Brittain 1972; Brittain et a1 1970, 1976) and an inhibitor of experimental bronchospasm in guinea-pigs and cats (Brittain et a1 1970; Brittain 1972). In addition, clinical studies with TMQ indicated that the drug was an effective bronchodilator in mild to moderate asthma (Yamamura & Kishimoto 1968). It may...
MacKay RJ, Urquhart KA.Eight mature horses which had been affected with a moist cough for six weeks were found to have large numbers of eosinophils in tracheal mucus samples taken by transtracheal washing. These horses were kept on irrigated pasture and fed a hay-free diet. A companion yearling donkey was found to be passing Dictyocaulus arnfieldi larvae in its faeces. Two oral treatments with a dose of thiabendazole (440 mg/kg) resulted in the resolution of the clinical signs and the disappearance of eosinophils from transtracheal washings. The eosinophilic bronchitis seen in these horses was presumed to be a manif...
Chand N, Eyre P.Histamine, 2-methylhistamine (a specific H1-agonist), 5-HT, PGF2alpha, SRS-A, bradykinin (BK) and carbachol contract bronchial and tracheal smooth muscles of the horse. Isoprenaline, PGE1, E2, dimaprit and 4-methylhistamine (last two = specific H2-agonists) relaxed airways which were partially contracted to carbachol. Mepyramine (a specific H1-antagonist) selectively antagonized contractions to histamine. In the presence of mepyramine, histamine caused relaxation of airways partially contracted to carbachol. Metiamide and burimamide (specific H2-antagonists) specifically antagonized or reverse...
Robinson NE, Sorenson PR.Obstruction of the upper and lower airways is common in horses. In the upper airway, paresis of abductor muscles of the nares and larynx allows inspiratory collapse of soft tissues, which is accentuated by factors increasing upper airway resistance and by high inspiratory flow rates. Intrapulmonary airway obstruction occurs due to accumulation of secretions, release of chemical mediators in response to a variety of stimuli, and parasympathetic stimulation of airways. Obstruction of large airways increases the work of breathing, whereas obstruction of small airways may cause no measurable incre...
Cook WR.Broken wind is a syndrome characterised by chronic bronchitis and alveolar emphysema. Clinical signs include nasal catarrh, persistent coughing, dyspnoea and poor exercise tolerance. In racehorses, lung haemorrhages may result in epistaxis. Broken wind is a disease of domestication ascribed to pollution of the stable air with fungal spores from hay and straw. Treatment and prevention are based on the provision of fresh air and, if housing is unavoidable, the adoption of a permanent regime of dust-free stable management. If an early diagnosis is made and appropriate treatment instituted, the pr...
Beech J.Tracheobronchial aspirates were obtained from 27 normal horses and from 57 horses with respiratory disease. Aspirates from normal horses contained mainly ciliated columnar epithelial cells, mononuclear cells, a few neutrophils and mucus. Aspirates from horses with acute suppurative bronchopneumonias or chronic bronchiolitis had predominantly neutrophils and usually large amounts of mucus; in severe suppurative inflammatory diseases, many of the cells were degenerated, and there were coils of fibrinous material resembling Curschmann's spirals. Eosinophils were rarely found, even from horses wit...
Winder NC, von Fellenberg R.In lungs from 22 horses, the number and type of mast cells in histologically normal specimens were compared with those in specimens with various histological lesions. Tissues fixed in Carnoy's solution were superior to those fixed in formalin for the identification of mast cells. Fixation of lung specimens from eight horses in Carnoy's solution and formalin allowed the identification of two subpopulations of mast cells: formalin-sensitive, which predominated and formalin-resistant. Specimens with mild chronic tracheitis and mild and moderate chronic bronchitis generally had slight increases in...
O'Callaghan MW, Sanderson GN.A method for performing bronchography in standing nonanaesthetized horses was developed. Bronchography was performed by insufflating the previously intubated trachea with a mixture of 120 to 200 g of finely powdered barium sulphate mixed with 3 to 7 g of powdered methyl cellulose. The mixture was delivered from an ether vaporiser into which compressed air was blown. Premedication with atropine sulphate immediately before insufflation minimised bronchoconstriction. Satisfactory bronchograms with contrast visible down to the seventh and eighth bronchial divisions were obtained in 80 per cent of ...
Kirschvink N, Art T, Lekeux P, Roberts C, Gustin P.8-Epi-PGF2alpha, a prostaglandin-like compound generated by oxidative stress, has been shown to be an in vitro bronchoconstrictor in airways from healthy laboratory animals and healthy humans, but it has never been studied in diseased airways. Here, the bronchoconstrictive capacity of 8-epi-PGF2alpha on isolated bronchial rings (BR) of healthy and heaves-affected horses was evaluated by comparing the maximal effect and the potency of 8-epi-PGF2alpha to those of (1) acetylcholine (ACh), (2) its stereoisomer PGF2alpha and (3) its synthetic receptor agonist, U46619. Furthermore, the potential cap...
Sonea IM, Bowker RM, Robinson NE, Holland RE.The lungs of neonatal foals contain many nerves immunoreactive for substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide. These nerves are closely associated with the epithelium, bronchial and pulmonary vessels and the airway smooth muscle of all intrathoracic airways, including non-cartilaginous bronchioles. Activation of sensory nerves in the respiratory epithelium could thus potentially affect, via local axon reflexes, vascular and respiratory smooth muscle in neonatal equine airways. Nerves immunoreactive for these peptides are much more widely distributed within the lung than in adult horses; t...
Gleed RD, Dobson A, Hackett RP.In the quietly standing horse the bronchial arterial blood flow is low, 0.1-0.2% of the pulmonary arterial flow. In horses anaesthetized with halothane, the bronchial arterial flow is reduced by a greater fraction than that in the pulmonary artery. Thus the shunting through the bronchial circulation is decreased about 3-fold by anaesthesia, and cannot, therefore, contribute significantly to the increased alveolar-arterial gradient seen in dorsal recumbency. The results indicate bronchial vasoconstriction under anaesthesia.
Sonea IM, Bowker RM, Robinson NE.Autoradiography with [125I]-Bolton Hunter substance P ([I]-BHSP) was used to detect substance P binding sites in the equine lung. Specific [I]-BHSP binding sites were very dense over small bronchial vessels, tracheobronchial glands and airway epithelium in large and small airways. The density of [I]-BHSP binding sites over airway smooth muscle was much lower than in the preceding tissues. Competition with an excess of either a specific neurokinin 1 receptor agonist, or a specific neurokinin 2 receptor agonist indicated that most specific [I]-BHSP binding sites in the equine lung represent neur...
Aguilera-Tejero E, Pascoe JR, Smith BL, Tyler WS, Woliner MJ.The diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and the functional residual capacity (FRC) of the lung were measured in 5 healthy Thoroughbreds before and after instillation of autologous blood into their lungs, in an attempt to develop a method to quantitate extravascular blood in the lungs of horses with exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. Mean (+/- SD) baseline values of DLCO and FRC were 333.8 +/- 61.9 ml/min/mm of Hg and 21.464 +/- 4.156 L, respectively. Blood instillation resulted in decreases in DLCO and FRC. The paradoxic decrease in DLCO (we were expecting to find an increase owi...
Mair TS, Stokes CR, Bourne FJ.Lavage techniques were used to obtain secretions from the nasal cavity, trachea and bronchi of conscious horses. The techniques, which utilised fibreoptic endoscopy for recovery of tracheal and bronchial secretions, were well tolerated by the horses. The recovery rates of the lavaged fluids were acceptable, but were lowest for bronchial secretions, and there was minimal contamination by blood. The fluids were analysed for IgG and IgM by single radial immunodiffusion, and for IgA and albumin by rocket immunoelectrophoresis. Relative to albumin there was significantly more IgA and IgM, and signi...
Kelley LC, Hill JE, Hafner S, Wortham KJ.Spontaneous equine pulmonary granular cell tumors were diagnosed in six mature horses at slaughter. These tumors were grossly recognized as multiple (5/6) or single (1/6) creamy white, firm nodules. The tumors, located adjacent to bronchi and bronchioles, often invaded airways, resulting in partial to complete occlusion of the lumina. Neoplastic cells were rounded to polyhedral with numerous eosinophilic cytoplasmic granules that reacted uniformly positive with S-100 and neuron-specific enolase antibodies and multifocally with glial fibrillary acidic protein antibodies. These cells were negati...
Deegen E, Müller P, Petzoldt K.On the basis of cytological similarities in chronic obstructive disease (COPD) in human beings and in horses during 1981 a total number of 144 horses with COPD were examined. Bronchial secretions were taken under endoscopic control and stained with a modified Hansel staining procedure. Whereas 26 horses did not exhibit signs of allergic reactions cytologically and 94 horses showed low amounts of eosinocytes and/or mast cells in their secretion; only the secretions of 24 horses (16,67%) were characterized by fairly high contents of these allergy associated cells and low numbers of neutrophilic ...
Breuer D.In spite of regular vaccinations against equine influenza we are still observing a high rate of patients with respiratory problems in the equine practice. In our practice in Munich Riem, into which a horse clinic has been integrated, 4000 horses have been treated in 1985 alone. 874 of these showed some form of respiratory disease (= 22%). All of the 4000 horses have only been treated curatively, i.e. preventive forms of treatment such as vaccinations, deworming and examinations for insurance companies and prior to selling have not been taken into account. From 1983 until today in our clinic 25...
Winder NC, von Fellenberg R.Pulmonary parenchymal tissues from 6 healthy horses and from 9 horses with chronic bronchiolitis were evaluated by use of an indirect immunofluorescent technique. In horses of both groups, the diffuse interstitial immunofluorescence was most intense for immunoglobulin (Ig)G, moderate for IgA, and minimal for IgM. Intensity of fluorescence was increased markedly in diseased lungs exposed to anti-IgA and anti-IgG. Around small bronchi and large bronchioles of healthy horses, IgA-containing cells generally were more numerous than were IgG-Fc fragment (Fc)-containing cells; in small bronchioles, h...
Turk MA, Thomas DE.To study the role of cytochrome P-450-dependent mixed function oxidase reactions in equine 3-methylindole (3MI) toxicosis, ponies were given 20 mg of phenobarbital/kg of body weight at 72, 60, 48, 36, and 24 hours before 100 mg of oral 3MI/kg to induce cytochrome P-450 or no treatment (controls). Maximal 3MI plasma concentration was decreased and clearance was faster in phenobarbital-treated ponies. Plasma 3MI was still detectable 12 and 36 hours after dosing in phenobarbital-treated and control ponies, respectively. Phenobarbital treatment induced a distribution phase with transition from a 1...
Geisel O, von Sandersleben J.The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in horses is primarily based on a chronic bronchitis/bronchiolitis with constriction of the tubes in the lower respiratory tract. The outward appearance of the lung is characterized by a diffuse or marginal alveolar emphysema. The big bronchial tubes are usually not altered. Small bronchi and bronchioli can often be seen through the pulmonal pleura. On the sectional area they are visible as opaque grey-red nodules with a central lumen detectable under a magnifying glass. The histopathological picture of alterations in the bronchial tree can vary...
Art T, Tack S, Kirschvinck N, Busoni V, Votion D, Freeman K, Lekeux P.This study aimed at measuring the functional consequences and the pulmonary cytology changes following a simulation of pulmonary haemorrhage. Pulmonary function tests including lobeline-induced hyperventilation, cytology of tracheo-bronchial wash (TBW) and thoracic radiographs were performed before, as well as 1, 7, 14 and 28 days after, the instillation of 300 ml of blood into the lungs of 4 horses deemed free of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (Group 1). Control data (Group 2) were obtained by instilling the same volume of saline into the lungs of the same horses in a crossover design...
Barton AK, Gehlen H.The term remodeling describes the process resulting in a tissue that is structurally and architecturally altered compared to its healthy counterpart. At least in severe equine asthma, this occurs mainly, but not exclusively, as a consequence of neutrophilic airway inflammation and is characterized by hypertrophy of the smooth muscle layers in airway and arterial walls as well as fibrosis of the bronchial walls and pulmonary interstitial tissue. To date, much less is known for mild to moderate equine asthma. For a long time it was assumed that these processes are irreversible, and at least for ...
Schellenberg LM, Regenthal R, Abraham G.The present study addresses the effect of the Rho-kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632 on the β-adrenoceptor density and β-agonist-stimulated intracellular second messenger cAMP formation in primary equine bronchial epithelial cells (EBEC). Y-27632 significantly decreased the β-adrenoceptor number (B) without markedly affecting the receptor affinity (dissociation constant, K) to the radioligand [I]-iodocyanopindolol (ICYP). In contrast, Y-27632 augmented the β-agonist-stimulated intracellular cAMP production. Herein, Y-27632 markedly increased the maximal cAMP responses (E) (isoproterenol >...
Abs V, Bonicelli J, Kacza J, Zizzadoro C, Abraham G.Interaction between epithelial cells and fibroblasts play a key role in wound repair and remodelling in the asthmatic airway epithelium. We present the establishment of a co-culture model using primary equine bronchial epithelial cells (EBECs) and equine bronchial fibroblasts (EBFs). EBFs at passage between 4 and 8 were seeded on the bottom of 24-well plates and treated with mitomycin C at 80% confluency. Then, freshly isolated (P0) or passaged (P1) EBECs were seeded on the upper surface of membrane inserts that had been placed inside the EBF-containing well plates and grown first under liquid...
Schwab U, Caldwell S, Matychak MB, Felippe J.We developed a 3-D equine bronchial epithelial cell (BEC) culture that fully differentiates into ciliary beating and mucus producing cells. Using this system, we evaluated how mucus affects the phagocytic activity of macrophages. Adult horse monocyte-derived macrophages were incubated with Rhodococcus equi for 4h either in the mucus layer of in vitro generated airway epithelium or on collagen coated membranes. Using light and electron microscopy, we noted that the number of macrophages with intracellular bacteria, and the number of intracellular bacteria per macrophage were lower in the presen...
Millares-Ramirez EM, Lavoie JP.Severe asthma in horses is characterized by structural changes that thicken the lower airway wall, a change that is only partially reversible by current treatments. Increased vascularization contributes to the thickening of the bronchial wall in humans with asthma and is considered a potential new therapeutic target. Objective: To determine the presence of angiogenesis in the bronchi of severely asthmatic horses, and if present, to evaluate its reversibility by treatment with corticosteroids. Methods: Study 1: Bronchial samples from asthmatic horses in exacerbation (7), in remission (7), and a...
Frontiers in allergyNovember 26, 2021
Volume 2 762026 doi: 10.3389/falgy.2021.762026
Ben Hamouda S, Miglino MA, de Sá Schiavo Matias G, Beauchamp G, Lavoie JP.Asthma is associated with increased deposition and altered phenotype of airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells. However, little is known about the processes responsible for these changes. It has been suggested that alterations of the extracellular matrix (ECM) contribute to the remodeling of ASM cells in asthma. Three-dimensional matrices allow the study of complex cellular responses to different stimuli in a close-to-natural environment. Thus, we investigated the ultrastructural and genic variations of ASM cells cultured on acellular asthmatic and control bronchial matrices. We studied horses, as ...
Léguillette R, Steinmann M, Bond SL, Stanton B.Poor performance is often suspected to be associated with EIPH in barrel racing horses; however, there are no published reports of EIPH for this discipline. The prevalence of EIPH in barrel racing horses is also unknown. Objective: This study was performed to determine the prevalence of EIPH and signs of airway inflammation in barrel racing horses under normal racing conditions in Alberta. Methods: About 170 barrel racing horses. Methods: Observational cross-sectional study. Tracheobronchoscopic examinations were performed at least 30 minutes postrace. Video recordings were scored off-site ind...
Vinardell T, David F, Galezowski AM, Ali M, Qasim M, Massie SL, McCrae P, Filho S, Leguillette R.Swimming is used for rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries and for conditioning to improve equine fitness. However, there are anecdotal reports that suggest that tethered swimming can induce epistaxis, likely secondary to exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). The objective of this observational, prospective study was to investigate if EIPH occurs during intensive free-swimming training sessions (5 × 70m) using 15 endurance horses. On tracheo-bronchoscopic evaluations following swimming, low grade mucus scores were observed, but no tracheal blood was observed. Bronchoalveolar la...
Goraya K, Iqbal Z, Sajid M, Muhammad G, Ain QU, Saleem M.Plants have widely been used and documented for their therapeutic potential in many parts of the world. There are, however, few reports on the use of plants for the treatment of diseases of equines. To this end, participatory epidemiology and rapid rural appraisal techniques were used to document the plants having pharmacotherapeutic significance against different ailments of equines in selected population of Punjab, Pakistan. Methods: A survey was conducted to interview a total of 450 respondents (150 from each of the districts of Faisalabad, Lahore and Sargodha of Pakistan) to collect inform...
Wang ZW, Yu MF, Robinson NE, Derksen FJ.The present study was conducted to determine if acetylcholine (ACh) release from airway cholinergic nerves is increased and if modulation of ACh release by prejunctional receptors is altered in horses with heaves, an obstructive airway disease characterized by airway inflammation and bronchospasm. Trachealis strips and bronchial segments of normal horses and horses affected with heaves were suspended in 2-ml tissue baths. ACh release was induced by electrical field stimulation and the bath ACh content was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection....
Herholz C, Tschudi P, Gerber H, Moens Y, Straub R.A new computerised ultrasound-based spirometry system according to Buess et al. (1995) modified by a double flow measurement facility was used to study pulmonary function in healthy horses and horses affected with subclinical and manifest chronic bronchiolitis (CB). The horses were first evaluated at rest without any medication. On another occasion all horses were tested following i.v. administration of xylazine (0.4 mg/kg) and following i.v. administration of lobeline hydrochloride (l.hy.; 0.2 mg/kg) to evaluate the effect of xylazine and l.hy. on different spirometric variables. Ultrasound-b...
Vietmeier J, Niedorf F, Bäumer W, Martin C, Deegen E, Ohnesorge B, Kietzmann M.A study was performed to evaluate the use of precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) for studies on the contraction of equine airways. Lungs of 10 horses were taken to prepare PCLS of approximately 250 microm from equine lung tissue using a special microtome. The lung slices were cultured and the enclosed small airways were monitored using a microscope with coupled digital camera, which was used to determine the airway luminal area and diameter from digital images. As indicated by the beating of the ciliated epithelium and reactivity of airways on methacholine challenge, the tissue slices were found ...
MacNeill AL, Alleman AR, Franklin RP, Long M, Giguère S, Uhl E, López-Martinez A, Wilkerson M.A 5-year-old Paso-Fino mare was presented for severe respiratory distress. The mare had foaled 2 months prior to presentation. The horse was in poor body condition with a dull hair coat. A mild fever was noted during physical examination and increased bronchovesicular sounds were auscultated. Thoracic radiographs showed an interstitial pattern and an alveolar infiltrate with distinct air bronchograms. Moderate purulent inflammation with increased mucus was observed in tracheal wash fluid, but no infectious agents were identified. A bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) contained a large amount of mucus...
LeBlanc PH, Broadstone RV, Derksen FJ, Robinson NE.Distal airway segments (ID, 3 to 4 mm; length, 5 mm) from 2 groups of horses were isolated and suspended in tissue baths filled with Krebs solution, aerated with 5% CO2 in oxygen and maintained at 37 degrees C. Responses to exogenous acetylcholine, isoproterenol, or electrical field stimulation were compared. Control horses (n = 30) had no history of recurrent airway obstruction, whereas principal horses (n = 15) had recurrent airway obstruction and were studied during an acute episode of airway obstruction. Although the distal airways contracted in response to the cumulative half-logarithmic ...
Schwab UE, Fulcher ML, Randell SH, Flaminio MJ, Russell DG.We describe a method for creating differentiated equine bronchial epithelial cell cultures that can be used for in vitro studies including airway disease mechanisms and pathogen-host interactions. Our method is based on the culturing of human tracheobronchial epithelial cells at an air-liquid interface (ALI) in specific serum-free, hormone-supplemented medium. Bronchial epithelial cells are isolated and grown on T-Clear® insert membranes. Within 2 to 3 wk, cells differentiate into ciliated and mucus producing cells as demonstrated by confocal and electron microscopy. Furthermore, the demonstr...
