Evaluation of the Rabbit Nasal Cavity in Inhalation Studies and a Comparison with Other Common Laboratory Species and Man

Abstract

The rabbit is occasionally used for inhalation and intranasal safety assessment studies, but there are no detailed descriptions of the anatomy or histology of the rabbit nose. To address this deficit, the nasal cavities of thirty-two control adult rabbits were sectioned and examined to provide mapping of the main epithelial types and histological structures present within the cavity and turbinates. Four levels of the nasal cavity were prepared and examined using anatomic landmarks. Level I was sectioned immediately posterior to the incisors, Level II at the first palatal ridge, Level III immediately anterior to the first upper premolar teeth, and Level IV immediately anterior to the first upper molar. Level I was lined predominantly by squamous epithelium with small amounts of thick transitional epithelium, and examination is recommended only for studies involving test article administration via instillation. Level II was lined primarily with transitional and respiratory epithelia, whereas Levels III and IV were lined with respiratory and olfactory epithelia and often contained nasal-associated lymphoid tissue. The vomeronasal organs were evident only in Level II. The similarities and differences of these features are compared with those of other common laboratory species (rat, mouse, dog, and cynomolgus monkey) and man.

Airway Gland Structure and Function

“…When, for 14 mammalian species, the aggregate volume of glands per unit area of tracheal surface was plotted against tracheal diameter, for 12 of the species the relationship was essentially linear with glands disappearing at ϳ1 mm diameter (735) (see FIGURE 3C). However, rabbit and horse tracheas have fewer glands than expected for other animals of their size (FIGURE 3C), presumably because they are obligate nose breathers with unusually long and convoluted nasal turbinates (249,468,527) that contain abundant submucosal glands (359,512). However, other factors may be involved in the lack of tracheal glands in rabbits, because the rabbit esophagus also has no submucosal glands, unlike the esophagi of humans, pigs, and opossums (3,247).…”

Three-Dimensional Analysis of the Nasolacrimal Duct and Nasal Cavity and Arrangement of Mucosal Tissue in Chickens

“…In dogs and cats, the lacrimal duct consists of the upper and lower punctum, upper and lower canaliculus, lacrimal sac, and nasolacrimal duct on its way to the nostril ( Noller et al , 2006 , Rached et al , 2011 ). In rabbits, the nasolacrimal duct exists independently from the beginning to the ventral medial part of the nasal turbinate adjacent to the incisors ( Pereira et al , 2011 ). In snakes, the lacrimal duct runs to the oral cavity adjacent to the opening of the vomeronasal organ ( Souza et al , 2015 ).…”

Nasal passages of Göttingen minipigs from the neonatal period to young adult

“…Level 1 (Figure 4) provides information on the squamous epithelium; this epithelium was absent in the more caudal levels. Level 1 resembles the first level, proposed by Pereira, Macri, and Creasy (2011) for rabbits, except that in the minipigs, the nasoturbinates were not included at this level. Level 2 allows examination of the transitional are lined by transitional epithelium with squamous epithelium at the tips of the nasoturbinates and the opposing sides of the nasal septum, while the dorsal part of the maxilloturbinates is lined by respiratory epithelium.…”