Animal models of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The term rat models

Abstract

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the chronic lung disease of prematurity that affects very preterm infants. Although advances in perinatal care have enabled the survival of infants born as early as 23–24 wk of gestation, the challenge of promoting lung growth while protecting the ever more immature lung from injury is now bigger. Consequently, BPD remains one of the most common complications of extreme prematurity and still lacks specific treatments. Progress in our understanding of BPD and the potential of developing therapeutic strategies have arisen from large (baboons, sheep, and pigs) and small (rabbits, rats, and mice) animal models. This review focuses specifically on the use of the rat to model BPD and summarizes how the model is used in various research studies and the advantages and limitations of this particular model, and it highlights recent therapeutic advances in BPD by using this rat model.