The Manufacturing of inhalation chamber designed for exposing mice to water pipe or cigarette smoke
Prepared by:
Assis. Dr. Nada Abdul Rahman Fluaih al-Isawi, Prof. Dr. Mohammed Nafei Ali al-Azawi/Department of biology/College of science – University of Baghdad
Abstract
The inhalation chamber unit was manufactured and designed for exposing laboratory mice to waterpipe (shisha) or cigarette smoke. The unit was used also to measure the effects in mice respiratory tract resulted by inhaling smoke. The unit is not available at the university specialized laboratories. The unit manufactured locally and consists of the following parts: inhalation exposure chamber, its shape is cuboidal, made of Plexiglas with a volume of (80Lt), which is sufficient to occupy (90) laboratory mice. The chamber has input and output openings at both sides, with a ventilation opening lies at the top cover of the chamber to prevent animal hypoxia during exposing to smoke. The inhalation chamber connected with an ordinary shisha or to cigarettes lightening box, the later has made of Plexiglas and designed for lighting 5 cigarettes. In addition the unit consists of two air pumps used to inlet and exhaust smoke from the inhalation exposure chamber .both air pumps are connected with chamber by rubber tubes .the air pumps operation controlled by electronic switching unit which consists of electronic circuit that controlled the operation periods of time for smoke input and output. The input pump operate for 10 sec to enable smoke to inter to inhalation chamber then the pump stop for 30 sec to allow animals to inhale smoke ,then, output air pump operate for 10 sec to exhaust the smoke to outside the chamber. Exposing laboratory mice to cigarette or shisha smoke for 12 weeks by using the inhalation exposure unit showed clear histological changes resulted in animals (respiratory tract). The results assured the effectiveness of the inhalation unit (design and manufacturing) after observing effects of smoke on mice tissues.