Comparison of airway remodeling in acute, subacute, and chronic models of allergic airways disease

Abstract

The relationship between airway inflammation and structural changes of airway remodeling, and their relative effects on airway function, are poorly understood. Remodeling is thought to result from chronic repetitive injury to the airway wall caused by airway inflammation; however, the mechanisms regulating remodeling changes have not been clearly defined. We examined the sequence of events in remodeling using three commonly used mouse models of allergic airways disease in which mice are exposed to nebulized ovalbumin for four consecutive days (acute), seven consecutive days (subacute), or three times a week for 6 wk (chronic). Surprisingly, we found that a very short period of exposure to ov..