Technical and physiological determinants of airway smooth muscle mass in endobronchial biopsy samples of asthmatic horses.
Abstract: Morphometric analyses of endobronchial biopsies are commonly performed in asthma research but little is known about the technical and physiological parameters contributing to measurement variability. We investigated factors potentially affecting biopsy size, quality, and airway smooth muscle (ASM) content in heaves, an asthma-like disease of horses. Horses with heaves in clinical exacerbation (n = 6) or remission (n = 6) from the disease and six controls were studied using a crossover design. The effect of disease status, age, bronchodilation, biopsy forceps type, and carina size on total biopsy area (Atot), ASM area (AASM), ASM% (AASM/Atot), and histologic quality were assessed. Concordance among different measuring techniques was also assessed. Compared with other groups, horses with heaves in exacerbation yielded larger biopsies (P < 0.05). Better quality biopsies were obtained from carinae of small size compared with large ones (P = 0.02), and carina size and forceps type significantly affected the ASM content of the biopsy (interaction, P < 0.05). AASM increased with age only in heaves-affected horses (r = 0.9, P < 0.05), and ASM% was negatively correlated with pulmonary resistance at 5 Hz in heaves-affected horses (r = -0.74, P = 0.01), likely because of the increased thickness of the extracellular matrix layer in this group (P = 0.01). In conclusion, disease status, carina thickness, and the forceps used may significantly affect biopsy size, quality, and ASM content. Endobronchial biopsies are not appropriate samples for ASM quantification in heaves, and studies measuring ASM mass should not be compared when measuring techniques differ.
Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.
Publication Date: 2014-08-07 PubMed ID: 25103978DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00468.2014Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research investigates the various factors that influence the size, quality, and airway smooth muscle content of endobronchial biopsy samples in horses suffering from Heaves, a disease similar to asthma in humans. The study discovered that the disease status, the use of a particular biopsy forceps, and the size of bronchial ridges were significant factors affecting the biopsy outcome.
Research Methodology
- The research was performed on horses affected by a condition known as ‘heaves’, which is an asthma-like disease. The aim was to understand how different variables might affect the size, quality, and ASM content of endobronchial biopsy samples.
- The researchers used varying conditions to perform biopsies on heaves-affected horses, switching between those in a state of clinical exacerbation and ones in remission, with control samples also taken from six unaffected horses. Disease status, age, bronchodilation, biopsy forceps type, and bronchial ridge, or carina, size were the significant factors assessed.
Key Findings
- It was found that horses with heaves in exacerbation yielded larger biopsy sizes than other groups.
- Better quality biopsies were obtained from carinae of smaller size compared to larger ones, with both carina size and forceps type significantly influencing the ASM content of the biopsy.
- Interestingly, the ASM increased with age only in heaves-affected horses.
- The study also found a negative correlation between ASM% and pulmonary resistance at 5 Hz in affected horses, likely due to an increased thickness of the extracellular matrix layer in this group.
Conclusions
- From their findings, the researchers concluded that the status of the disease, the thickness of the carina, and the forceps used for the biopsy could significantly affect the size, quality, and ASM content of the biopsy.
- Furthermore, they found that endobronchial biopsies were not appropriate samples for quantifying ASM in heaves-affected horses and that, due to the variability in the outcome influenced by biopsy technique, studies assessing the ASM mass should not be compared if different measuring techniques are employed.
Cite This Article
APA
Bullone M, Chevigny M, Allano M, Martin JG, Lavoie JP.
(2014).
Technical and physiological determinants of airway smooth muscle mass in endobronchial biopsy samples of asthmatic horses.
J Appl Physiol (1985), 117(7), 806-815.
https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00468.2014 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada; and.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada; and.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada; and.
- Meakins-Christie Laboratories, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada; and jean-pierre.lavoie@umontreal.ca.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Asthma / pathology
- Asthma / physiopathology
- Asthma / veterinary
- Biopsy
- Bronchi / pathology
- Bronchi / physiopathology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses
- Muscle, Smooth / pathology
- Muscle, Smooth / physiopathology
Citations
This article has been cited 14 times.- Mainguy-Seers S, Beaudry F, Fernandez-Prada C, Martin JG, Lavoie JP. Neutrophil Extracellular Vesicles and Airway Smooth Muscle Proliferation in the Natural Model of Severe Asthma in Horses. Cells 2022 Oct 24;11(21).
- Ya S, Haidong H, Chengjie Z, Qin W, Hohenforst-Schmidt W, Freitag L, Tsakiridis K, Zarogoulidis P, Arnaoutoglou C, Ioannidis A, Chong B. Tentative study on radial endobronchial ultrasonography evaluating airway wall thickness before and after bronchial thermoplasty. Respir Med Case Rep 2022;36:101571.
- Bessonnat A, Hélie P, Grimes C, Lavoie JP. Airway remodeling in horses with mild and moderate asthma. J Vet Intern Med 2022 Jan;36(1):285-291.
- Couetil L, Cardwell JM, Leguillette R, Mazan M, Richard E, Bienzle D, Bullone M, Gerber V, Ivester K, Lavoie JP, Martin J, Moran G, Niedźwiedź A, Pusterla N, Swiderski C. Equine Asthma: Current Understanding and Future Directions. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:450.
- Bullone M, Vargas A, Elce Y, Martin JG, Lavoie JP. Fluticasone/salmeterol reduces remodelling and neutrophilic inflammation in severe equine asthma. Sci Rep 2017 Aug 18;7(1):8843.
- Mailhot-Larouche S, Lachance M, Bullone M, Henry C, Dandurand RJ, Boulet LP, Laviolette M, King GG, Farah CS, Bossé Y. Assessment of Airway Distensibility by the Forced Oscillation Technique: Reproducible and Potentially Simplifiable. Front Physiol 2017;8:223.
- Bullone M, Hélie P, Joubert P, Lavoie JP. Development of a Semiquantitative Histological Score for the Diagnosis of Heaves Using Endobronchial Biopsy Specimens in Horses. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Sep;30(5):1739-1746.
- Herteman N, Bullone M, Lavoie JP. Endoscopic Evaluation of Angiogenesis in the Large Airways of Horses with Heaves Using Narrow Band Imaging. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Mar-Apr;30(2):671-4.
- Bullone M, Beauchamp G, Godbout M, Martin JG, Lavoie JP. Endobronchial Ultrasound Reliably Quantifies Airway Smooth Muscle Remodeling in an Equine Asthma Model. PLoS One 2015;10(9):e0136284.
- Bartenschlager F, Kuropka B, Schmitz P, Dumke F, Landmann K, Gruber AD, Weise C, Schnabel CL, Gehlen H, Mundhenk L. Proteomic profiling of equine airway mucus reveals compositional changes in asthmatic phenotypes. Sci Rep 2026 Feb 10;16(1):5880.
- Rojas-Ruiz A, Boucher M, Henry C, Gélinas L, Packwood R, Graham P, Soliz J, Bossé Y. Methacholine hyperresponsiveness in mice with house dust mite-induced lung inflammation is not associated with excessive airway constriction ex vivo. Exp Physiol 2025 Sep;110(9):1336-1348.
- Lo Feudo CM, Ferrucci F, Bizzotto D, Dellacà R, Lavoie JP, Stucchi L. Differences in pulmonary function measured by oscillometry between horses with mild-moderate equine asthma and healthy controls. Equine Vet J 2025 May;57(3):619-628.
- Rojas-Ruiz A, Boucher M, Henry C, Packwood R, Soliz J, Bossé Y. Lung Volumes in a Mouse Model of Pulmonary Allergic Inflammation. Lung 2024 Oct;202(5):637-647.
- Höglund N, Rossi H, Javela HM, Oikari S, Nieminen P, Mustonen AM, Airas N, Kärjä V, Mykkänen A. The amount of hyaluronic acid and airway remodelling increase with the severity of inflammation in neutrophilic equine asthma. BMC Vet Res 2024 Jun 25;20(1):273.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
