Asthma: The Use of Animal Models and Their Translational Utility

Asthma is characterized by chronic lower airway inflammation that results in airway remodeling, which can lead to a permanent decrease in lung function. The pathophysiology driving the development of asthma is complex and heterogenous. Animal models have been and continue to be essential for the discovery of molecular pathways driving the pathophysiology of asthma and novel therapeutic approaches. Animal models of asthma may be induced or naturally occurring. Species used to study asthma include mouse, rat, guinea pig, cat, dog, sheep, horse, and nonhuman primate. Some of the aspects to consider when evaluating any of these asthma models are cost, labor, reagent availability, regulatory burden, relevance to natural disease in humans, type of lower airway inflammation, biological samples available for testing, and ultimately whether the model can answer the research question(s). This review aims to discuss the animal models most available for asthma investigation, with an emphasis on describing the inciting antigen/allergen, inflammatory response induced, and its translation to human asthma.

Automated summary

Asthma is a chronic lower airway inflammation that leads to airway remodeling and permanent decrease in lung function. Animal models have played a crucial role in discovering molecular pathways and new therapeutic approaches for asthma. These models can be induced or naturally occurring, and various species such as mice, rats, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, sheep, horses, and nonhuman primates have been used. Factors to consider when evaluating asthma models include cost, labor, reagent availability, regulatory burden, relevance to human disease, type of inflammation, available biological samples, and ability to answer research questions. This review focuses on discussing the most commonly used animal models for asthma research, with emphasis on the antigen/allergen, inflammatory response, and translation to human asthma.