Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive condition typically caused by cigarette smoke, is characterised by narrowing of the airways and lung inflammation. Systemic effects including muscle dysfunction can also occur but are not well understood. Rinaldi et al. use a nose-only cigarette-smoke-exposed mouse model of COPD to determine whether muscle dysfunction can be reliably reproduced in animals. They monitor disease progression using serial tests of lung function, and assess muscle function in parallel. As well as impairments in lung function, smoke-exposed mice show dysfunction and fibre-type switching in the soleus muscle. This model will be useful for examining underlying mechanisms of COPD features, and possibly for exploring new therapies. Page 333

Written by editorial staff. © 2012. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd
2012
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