ANIMAL MODELS OF ASTHMA

Abstract

Asthma is a complex allergic disease of respiratory system characterized by airway inflammation & bronchial hyper-responsiveness to many allergens due to interaction of many components of immunity system & resident lung cells. Experimental models of asthma have been extensively used for examining the mechanism of disease & investigation/screening of drug to be used for treatment of asthma. Studies have been conducted with in-vitro & in-vivo models but disease mechanism are still unclear. Combination of in-vitro & in-silico models promises the creation of heterogeneous population of virtual patients to resolve the issues unanswered in allergic asthma. At present time, there is no standardized experimental protocol, most laboratories have developed own protocol with some modification. Depend on a single model may possess many problems during result analysis. In this article, we discuss various in-vivo, in-vitro & in-silico models of asthma which may describe the various mechanisms & pathophysiology involved in allergic disease & also provide the way for investigation of new therapeutic agents. We also compare & discuss the merits & demerits of various models of allergic disease.