Comparative respiratory system mechanics in rodents

Abstract

Because of the wide utilization of rodents as animal models in respiratory research and the limited data on measurements of respiratory input impedance (Zrs) in small animals, we measured Zrs between 0.25 and 9.125 Hz at different levels (0–7 hPa) of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in mice, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits using a computer-controlled small-animal ventilator (Schuessler TF and Bates JHT, IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 42: 860–866, 1995). Zrs was fitted with a model, including a Newtonian resistance (R) and inertance in series with a constant-phase tissue compartment characterized by tissue damping (Gti) and elastance (Hti) parameters. Inertance was negligible in all cases. R, Gti, and Hti were normalized to body weight, yielding normalized R, Gti, and Hti (NHti), respectively. Normalized R tended to decrease slightly with PEEP and increased with animal size. Normalized Gti had a minimal dependence on PEEP. NHti decreased with increasing PEEP, reaching a minimum at ∼5 hPa in all species except mice. NHti was also higher in mice and rabbits compared with guinea pigs and rats at low PEEPs, which we conclude is probably due to a relatively smaller air space volume in mice and rabbits. Our data also suggest that smaller rodents have proportionately wider airways than do larger animals. We conclude that a detailed, comparative study of respiratory system mechanics shows some evidence of structural differences among the lungs of various species but that, in general, rodent lungs obey scaling laws similar to those described in other species.