Description of emphysema in mice with different susceptibilities to cigarette smoke-induced emphysema

The inflammatory response due to chronic smoking in COPD patients has been well characterized with increases in CD3+ T lymphocytes. A murine model was chosen in our laboratory as a good model of human emphysema.The first part of my project was to characterize the lung inflammatory response via immunocytochemistry in each mouse strain exposed to chronic smoke inhalation for a six-month period.Several T lymphocyte subsets (i.e. naive, central memory and effector memory) have been characterized in the immune system both in humans and mice. These subsets have different homing potentials and effector functions, and can be identified with cell surface markers. The second part of my project was to determine these T-cell subset ratios in the lungs of each strain after chronic smoke exposure.The third part of my project was to assess apoptosis in each strain after smoke exposure