Experimental modelling of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

A method for experimental reproduction of stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease formation (from acute inflammation to bronchopulmonary tissue restructuring characteristic of this disease) is presented. Lung injury and inflammation were induced by nitrogen dioxide. Hyperplasia and hypersecretion of goblet cells, squamous cell metaplasia of the ciliary epithelium, emphysema, and focal fibrosis served as the morphological substrate for the formation of bronchial obstruction. The adequacy of the model is confirmed by signs characteristic of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: hyperexpression of CD3 lymphocytes in the bronchial wall and parenchyma, manifold increased production of TNFα and TGFß, high concentrations of circulating pathogenic immune complexes. Persistence of the structural and functional shifts throughout 6 months after exposure to nitrogen dioxide indicated a chronic course of the resultant pathological process.