Dynamic evolution of emphysema and airway remodeling in two mouse models of COPD

BACKGROUND: Establishment of a mouse model is important for investigating the mechanism of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this study, we observed and compared the evolution of the pathology in two mouse models of COPD induced by cigarette smoke (CS) exposure alone or in combination with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). METHODS: One hundred eight wild-type C57BL/6 mice were equally divided into three groups: the (1) control group, (2) CS-exposed group (CS group), and (3) CS + LPS-exposed group (CS + LPS group). The body weight of the mice was recorded, and noninvasive lung function tests were performed monthly. Inflammation was evaluated by counting the number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and measuring the expression of the IL-6 mRNA in mouse lung tissue. Changes in pathology were assessed by performing hematoxylin and eosin and Masson staining of lung tissue sections. RESULTS: The two treatments induced emphysema and airway remodeling and decreased lung function. Emphysema was induced after 1 month of exposure to CS or CS + LPS, while airway remodeling was induced after 2 months of exposure to CS + LPS and 3 months of exposure to CS. Moreover, the mice in the CS + LPS group exhibited more severe inflammation and airway remodeling than the mice in the CS group, but the two treatments induced similar levels of emphysema. CONCLUSION: Compared with the single CS exposure method, the CS + LPS exposure method is a more suitable model of COPD in airway remodeling research. Conversely, the CS exposure method is a more suitable model of COPD for emphysema research due to its simple operation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12890-021-01456-z.