Perspectives on precision cut lung slices-powerful tools for investigation of mechanisms and therapeutic targets in lung diseases

Maggie Lam; Emma Lamanna; Louise Organ; Chantal Donovan; Jane E Bourke

doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1162889

Perspectives on precision cut lung slices-powerful tools for investigation of mechanisms and therapeutic targets in lung diseases

Front Pharmacol. 2023 May 16:14:1162889. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1162889. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Maggie Lam^{1

2

3}, Emma Lamanna^{1

4}, Louise Organ¹, Chantal Donovan^{5

6}, Jane E Bourke^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
² Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
³ Department of Molecular and Translational Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
⁴ Institut Pasteur, Unit of Antibodies in Therapy and Pathology, INSERM UMR1222, Paris, France.
⁵ School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁶ Hunter Medical Research Institute and The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.

Abstract

Precision cut lung slices (PCLS) have emerged as powerful experimental tools for respiratory research. Pioneering studies using mouse PCLS to visualize intrapulmonary airway contractility have been extended to pulmonary arteries and for assessment of novel bronchodilators and vasodilators as therapeutics. Additional disease-relevant outcomes, including inflammatory, fibrotic, and regenerative responses, are now routinely measured in PCLS from multiple species, including humans. This review provides an overview of established and innovative uses of PCLS as an intermediary between cellular and organ-based studies and focuses on opportunities to increase their application to investigate mechanisms and therapeutic targets to oppose excessive airway contraction and fibrosis in lung diseases.

Keywords: PCLS; airway; bronchodilator; fibrosis; intrapulmonary artery; standardisation; vasodilator.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This review was supported in part by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia Project Grants (GNT1165690 and GNT1187755) to JB.