ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the methods developed using Cadmium Chloride (CdCl2) in which emphysema predictably develops and which can be manipulated to evaluate the endogenous mediators of emphysema. In animal model of CdCl2 aerosol exposure, it demonstrates an intense biphasic cellular response in the lung, as assessed by the content of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), which was accompanied by an increased phagocyte-derived oxidant and elastase load, to the lungs. Hamsters were exposed to CdCl2 by repeated aerosols as described for the rat and varying amounts given by direct intratracheal instillation. The inflammatory response to CdCl2 is monitored by BAL and histologic examination. An explanation for the absence of emphysema ininitial experiments with CdCl2 may have been that while connective tissue destruction was occurring, the structural defects were limited by the ability of the host to synthesize new connective tissue fibers. The lathyrogens inhibit the cross-linking of collagen and elastin, and thus impede the formation of new connective tissue matrix.
