Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Lessons from Lungs
06 November 2012

Lessons from Lungs

After a lung injury or severe lung infection, some patients suffer a condition known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) – where the lungs become inflamed and unable to obtain sufficient oxygen. Such patients are given an air supply containing 60 percent oxygen, much higher than the 20 percent present in normal air. But while this oxygenation therapy is life-saving initially, it can sometimes worsen the problem. New research shows that high oxygen levels actually induce more inflammation, which further damages the lungs. The image above shows healthy mouse lung tissue exposed to normal air, on the left, and the inflammation caused by exposure to 100% oxygen, on the right. However, the good news is that if mice are given an anti-inflammatory treatment in addition to high oxygen, inflammation is reduced significantly. This suggests a similar combination therapy might be the best approach for patients with ARDS.

Written by Ruth Williams

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.