Altered lung function at mid-adulthood in mice following neonatal exposure to hyperoxia

Infants born very preterm are usually exposed to high oxygen concentrations but this may impair lung function in survivors in later life. However, the precise changes involved are poorly understood. We determined how neonatal hyperoxia alters lung function at mid-adulthood in mice. Neonatal C57BL/6J mice inhaled 65% oxygen (HE group) from birth for 7 days. They then breathed room air until 11 months of age (P11mo); these mice experienced growth restriction. Controls breathed only room air. To exclude the effects of growth restriction, a group of dams was rotated between hyperoxia and normoxia during the exposure period (HE + DR group). Lung function was measured at P11mo. HE mice had increased inspiratory capacity, work of breathing and tissue damping. HE + DR mice had further increases in inspiratory capacity and work of breathing, and reduced FEV100/FVC. Total lung capacity was increased in HE+DR males. HE males had elevated responses to methacholine. Neonatal hyperoxia alters lung function at mid-adulthood, especially in males.