Pulmonary Collagen Content In 1-Year-Old Rats Exposed To Postnatal Hyperoxia

IntroductionBronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease of preterm infants exposed to oxygen therapy postnatally. Although it is a vital, life-saving treatment, oxygen therapy is closely associated with long-term consequences, including decreased alveolarization and reductions in pulmonary vasculature cross-sectional area. Previous studies using a BPD rodent model have demonstrated an increase in lung collagen content within the first 20 days of birth. This suggests that the aberrant lung development in the BPD animal model is associated with pathological changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) (i.e. increased collagen content). No study to our knowledge has looked at collagen accumulation later in life as a result of early postnatal hyperoxia treatment. Furthermore, it is currently unknown whether or not there are sex differences in the ECM remodeling. The purpose of this study is to determine if 14 days of postnatal hyperoxia exposure affects collagen accumulation in the lungs of 1-year...