Human Precision-Cut Lung Slices: Generation of and Measurement of Contractility and Relaxation of Small Airways.

Lung slices have been used since the mid-1990's to study various aspects of lung biology that include, but are not limited to, mechanisms of airway contraction and relaxation; the pulmonary immune response in the context of inflammatory diseases of the lung like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; mast cell-mediated airway contractility and inflammation; modulation of airway cells following pathogen exposure; and consequences of environmental toxicant exposure. Here we describe the generation of human precision-cut lung slices (hPCLS) and measurement of contraction and relaxation of small airways within the slices.