Animal models of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which encompasses both chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is one of the most common respiratory conditions of adults in the developed world. Despite the high prevalence and enormous cost to healthcare and society, COPD has received scant attention in comparison to other respiratory conditions such as asthma and lung cancer. It is often thought of as a self-inflicted disease. But not all people who smoke develop COPD and not all patients with COPD are smokers. The causes of COPD are different. Its pathogenesis is complex. There are very few effective treatments. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve present therapy by drugs with new modes of actions. In contrast to many human diseases, chronic bronchitis and emphysema occur seldom in the animal world. Therefore, we have to mimic some characteristic features of these diseases in animals. For this reason, a wide variety of animal models have been developed and are employed in the search for new chemical entities for the treatment of COPD. In the present paper, the experimental models of COPD are critically reviewed.