Biomaterial Database

The effect of body warming on respiratory mechanics in rats. 2011

Alessandro Rubini

Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Physiology Section, University of Padova, Via Marzolo, 3, 35100 Padova, Italy. alessandro.rubini@unipd.it

The temperature dependence of airway smooth muscle cells and alveolar surfactant activity, and of the elastin stress-strain relationship, suggests that body warming may affect respiratory mechanics in vivo, a possibility that has not yet been investigated. To examine this hypothesis, healthy rats were studied using the end-inflation occlusion method under control conditions and after an infrared lamp was used for body warming. Hysteresis areas, the inspiratory work of breathing, and its elastic and resistive components were also calculated. After body warming, static and dynamic elastance, ohmic airway resistance, mean value of hysteresis, the inspiratory work of breathing, and additional resistance due to pendelluft and stress relaxation were all decreased. These data suggest that body warming reduces the inspiratory work of breathing by improving the elastic and resistive mechanical properties of airways. This effect is evident even for limited temperature variations suggesting that it may occur in the event of spontaneous pathological conditions, such as fever.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D001831	Body Temperature	The measure of the level of heat of a human or animal.	Organ Temperature,Body Temperatures,Organ Temperatures,Temperature, Body,Temperature, Organ,Temperatures, Body,Temperatures, Organ
D001833	Body Temperature Regulation	The processes of heating and cooling that an organism uses to control its temperature.	Heat Loss,Thermoregulation,Regulation, Body Temperature,Temperature Regulation, Body,Body Temperature Regulations,Heat Losses,Loss, Heat,Losses, Heat,Regulations, Body Temperature,Temperature Regulations, Body,Thermoregulations
D005260	Female		Females
D005334	Fever	An abnormal elevation of body temperature, usually as a result of a pathologic process.	Pyrexia,Fevers,Pyrexias
D006361	Heating	The application of heat to raise the temperature of the environment, ambient or local, or the systems for accomplishing this effect. It is distinguished from HEAT, the physical property and principle of physics.
D000403	Airway Resistance	Physiologically, the opposition to flow of air caused by the forces of friction. As a part of pulmonary function testing, it is the ratio of driving pressure to the rate of air flow.	Airway Resistances,Resistance, Airway,Resistances, Airway
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D015656	Respiratory Mechanics	The physical or mechanical action of the LUNGS; DIAPHRAGM; RIBS; and CHEST WALL during respiration. It includes airflow, lung volume, neural and reflex controls, mechanoreceptors, breathing patterns, etc.	Breathing Mechanics,Breathing Mechanic,Mechanic, Breathing,Mechanic, Respiratory,Mechanics, Breathing,Mechanics, Respiratory,Respiratory Mechanic
D017208	Rats, Wistar	A strain of albino rat developed at the Wistar Institute that has spread widely at other institutions. This has markedly diluted the original strain.	Wistar Rat,Rat, Wistar,Wistar Rats