Establishment and Evaluation of a Rat Model of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with Phlegm-Dampness Syndrome
10.12300/j.issn.1674-5817.2026.001
- VernacularTitle:一种痰湿证慢性阻塞性肺疾病大鼠模型的建立与评价
- Author:
Panpan ZHANG
1
;
Jinsen XU
2
;
Youmin CHENG
3
;
Huasong WU
3
;
Jingyu LIN
1
Author Information
1. Institute of Materia Medica, Fujian Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Fuzhou 350003, China
2. Key Laboratory of Propagated Sensation Along Meridian, Fujian Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Fuzhou 350003, China
3. Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Fujian Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Fuzhou 350003, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
Phlegm-dampness syndrome;
Disease-syndrome combination model;
Tumor necrosis factor-α;
Mucin 5AC;
SD rat
- From:
Laboratory Animal and Comparative Medicine
2026;46(5):668-676
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo establish and evaluate a rat model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) associated with the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) phlegm-dampness syndrome. MethodsEighteen SPF-grade 8-week-old male SD rats were randomly assigned to a control group (n=8) and a model group (n=10). The modeling procedure lasted for 19 weeks. Rats in the control group received no intervention. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 40 μg per rat per instillation) was instilled intratracheally into rats in the model group at 09:00 on the first day of weeks 1, 5, 9, 13, and 17, for a total of five instillations. Except for the instillation weeks, rats were exposed daily to cigarette smoke in a self-made high-humidity smoke exposure chamber (15 cigarettes/session before week 9 and 20 cigarettes/session from week 9 onward; 30 min/session/day). Body weight was recorded weekly, and general signs and manifestations of TCM phlegm-dampness syndrome were observed. On the day after modeling, rats were anesthetized for pulmonary ventilatory function testing. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) levels in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Lung tissues were subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and alcian blue and periodic acid-Schiff staining (AB-PAS) to assess lung tissue morphology and goblet cell hyperplasia. Western blotting was performed to determine TNF-α and MUC5AC protein expression in lung tissue. ResultsGeneral signs and overall condition: Compared with the control group, body weight in the model group was significantly decreased from week 3 onward (P<0.01). Rats showed yellowish fur, sluggish activity, reduced movement, rapid/labored breathing, and increased oral/nasal secretions. Pulmonary ventilatory function: Compared with the control group, minute ventilation and tidal volume (both P<0.01) and dynamic compliance (P<0.05) were decreased, whereas elastic resistance was markedly increased (P<0.01) in the model group. Inflammatory factors and mucus-related proteins: Compared with the control group, TNF-α and MUC5AC levels in serum and BALF, as well as their protein levels in lung tissue, were significantly elevated in the model group (all P<0.01). Histopathology: HE staining showed obvious alveolar dilatation and rupture with partial coalescence into bullae, and inflammatory cell infiltration in bronchiolar lumens. AB-PAS staining revealed increased goblet cells in bronchiolar mucosal epithelium and mucus plug formation in the lumen. ConclusionThis protocol can reproduce a COPD rat model with manifestations consistent with TCM phlegm-dampness syndrome, reduced pulmonary ventilation function, and pathological features of emphysema, inflammation, and chronic bronchitis, thereby providing reliable support for subsequent studies on TCM treatment of COPD with phlegm-dampness syndrome.
