Pig Bronchiolar Tissue Extraction: A Procedure to Dissect Bronchiolar Tissue Sections From Porcine Lungs
Transcript
Pigs have multi-lobed lungs – a paired organ of respiration – surrounding the heart within the thoracic cavity. The trachea allows the passage of air to and from the lungs. It branches into two main airways or bronchi, leading to the lungs.
Within the lungs, the bronchi divide into progressively smaller airways, and the smallest terminal branches of the airways are called bronchioles. The bronchioles lead to tiny balloon-shaped air sacs called alveoli, which are the sites of gas exchange within the lungs.
To isolate bronchiolar tissue sections, begin by placing freshly harvested porcine lungs onto a sterile platform. Heat sterilize the ventral surface of the pleura – thin membranous structure lining the lungs – to eliminate surface contaminants from the tissue. This step also facilitates easy incision of the pleura in the subsequent steps.
Incise along the length of the lung, and excise the surrounding tissue to expose the cartilage of the bronchus. Further, make a transverse incision at the highest point of the bronchus to detach it from the trachea.
Holding the free end of the bronchus, gently separate the length of the bronchus with the bronchioles from the surrounding alveolar tissue. Rinse the excised bronchiolar section with a suitable media. The bronchiolar tissue section is ready for further experimentation.
