Establishment of a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis induced by single intraperitoneal injection of paraquat

Objective To develop an easy and simple method of establishing mouse model of paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis.Methods Thirty-three C57BL/6J mice were divided randomly into the experimental group(n=30)and control group(n=3).Paraquat(10 mg/kg) was administrated to the animals of the experimental group by a single intraperitoneal injection.The mice were killed on the day 2,5,7,14 and 28 after paraquat administration.The mice in the control group were treated by an intraperitoneal injection of physiological saline and killed on the 28th day.The general conditions,macroscopic structure and pathological changes of lung in the mice of both groups were examined and analyzed.Results The manifestation of intoxication was shown at 2 h after paraquat administration and obvious fibrosis of the lung tissue was observed on the day 28 in the experimental group.Conclusions A mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis can be established conveniently and reliably by a single intraperitoneal injection of paraquat.It may be used to study the pathogenesis and treatment of paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis.