Structure and Function of the Lung. In: Jones TC, Dungworth DL, Mohr U, editors. Respiratory System. Berlin: Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 1996. pp. 135-50. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-61042-4_13]

The Potential for Phospholipids in the Treatment of Airway Inflammation: An Unexplored Solution

Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cystic fibrosis (CF) are major inflammatory respiratory diseases. Current mainstay therapy for asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are corticosteroids, which have well-established side effect profiles. Phospholipids (PLs) are ubiquitous, diverse compounds with varying functions such as their structural role incell membrane, energy storage, and cell signaling.Recent advances in understanding PLs role as inflammatory mediators in the body as well as their widespread long-standing use as carrier molecules in drug delivery demonstrate the potential application of phospholipids in modulating inflammatory conditions. This review briefly explains the main mechanisms of inflammation in chronic respiratory diseases, currentanti-inflammatory treatments and areas of unmet need. The structural features, roles of endogenous and exogenous phospholipids, including their use as pharmaceutical excipients are reviewed. Current research on the immunomodulatory properties of PLs and their potentialapplication in inflammatory diseasesis the major section of this review. Considering the roles of PLs as inflammatory mediators and their safety profile established in pharmaceutical formulations, these small molecules demonstrate great potential as candidates in respiratory inflammation. Future studies need to focus on the immunomodulatory properties and the underlying mechanisms of phospholipids in respiratory inflammatory diseases.

Procedures of Necropsy and Tissue Sampling

Necropsy is a major step of most studies using laboratory animals. During necropsy, tissue and organ noticeable grossly changes should be recorded and critical tissue samples may be stored for the subsequent evaluation. It is therefore important that the personnel in charge of this key experimental step to be adequately trained and aware of the study endpoints.

Revised guides for organ sampling and trimming in rats and mice--Part 2. A joint publication of the RITA and NACAD groups

This is the second part of a series of three articles on trimming instructions of rat and mouse protocol organs and tissues in regulatory type toxicity studies, covering the respiratory, male and female genital, and the endocrine systems. The article is based on the experience of the European RITA and American NACAD working groups and is an extended revision of trimming guides published in 1995 (Bahnemann et al.). The optimum localization for tissue preparation, the sample size, the direction of sectioning and the number of sections to be prepared is described organ by organ. These descriptions are illustrated for each organ by a schematic drawing and/or a macro-photograph showing the plane of section as well as a low magnification of the H&E stained slide demonstrating the optimum "end-product". The objectives of this work, as addressed in detail in the first part (Ruehl-Fehlert et al. 2003), are to standardize tissue sampling and trimming, to improve the comparability of historical data obtained from different studies and different laboratories, ensure the presence of all relevant target sites for histopathological evaluation and provide technical advice for preparatory techniques during necropsy, fixation and trimming. dardize tissue sampling and trimming, to improve the comparability of historical data obtained from different studies and different laboratories, ensure the presence of all relevant target sites for histopathological evaluation and provide technical advice for preparatory techniques during necropsy, fixation and trimming.

Differentiation and proliferation of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells

In this review article the morphological profiles of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNEC) in experimental animals and humans are described. Although the mechanisms of differentiation and proliferation of neuroendocrine cells in the airway epithelium remain to be solved, several experimental studies using explant culture and cell culture systems of fetal animal lungs have been performed to clarify fundamental phenomena associated with neuroendocrine differentiation and proliferation. Experimental animal studies using chronic hypoxia, toxic substances and carcinogens have succeeded in inducing alterations in PNEC systems, and these studies have elucidated the reactions of PNEC in cell injury and inflammation, and functional aspects of PNEC in disease conditions. Human pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors include various histological subtypes, and show divergent morphological and biological varieties. Molecular abnormalities of small cell carcinoma, the most aggressive subtype of pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors, have been extensively studied, but the mechanism of neuroendocrine differentiation of this tumor is still largely unknown. PNEC share common phenotypes with neuronal cells, and developmental studies have begun contributed evidence that similar transcriptional networks, including active and repressive basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) factors, function in the differentiation of both PNEC and neuronal cells. Such a bHLH network may also play a central role in determining cell differentiation in lung carcinomas. Further studies of the neuronal bHLH network, its regulatory system and related signal transduction pathways, will be required for understanding the mechanisms of neuroendocrine differentiation and proliferation in normal and pathological lung conditions.