Development of a new breath collection method for analysing volatile organic compounds from intubated mouse models

A novel pre-clinical method for collecting breath samples from intubated mice is presented, which can be tailored to respiratory disease research. Integrated with gold-standard respiratory mechanics equipment (flexiVent®), the approach captures volatile organic compounds (VOCs) onto industry-standard sorbent tubes, resulting in mouse breath samples that can be transported and analysed through TD-GC-MS and other central lab technologies. Background levels originating from the intubation equipment are shown to be low enough to effectively distinguish on-breath VOCs from background compounds. Quantitative analysis reveals a distinct number of compounds at elevated levels in mouse breath, despite their lower abundance compared to human breath samples. It is proposed that this method provides a route for translating pre-clinical findings and biomarkers into human clinical studies, particularly in the context of respiratory disease.