Understanding asthma using animal models

Asthma is a complex syndrome with many clinical phenotypes in children and adults. Despite the rapidly increasing prevalence, clinical investigation and epidemiological studies of asthma, the successful introduction of new drugs has been limited due to the different disease phenotypes and ethical issues. Mouse models of asthma replicate many of the features of human asthma, including airway hyperreactivity, and airway inflammation. Therefore, examination of disease mechanisms in mice has been used to elucidate asthma pathology and to identify and evaluate new therapeutic agents. In this article, we discuss the various animal models of asthma with a focus on mouse strains, allergens, protocols, and outcome measurements.