Surgical Induction of Unilateral Diaphragm Dysfunction

The procedure to induce UDD surgically was previously described in detail [12 (link)]. Here, the animals were pre-anesthetized with acepromazine (2.5 mg/kg bw, i.p.) and after 30 min, rats were anesthetized with ketamine (100 mg/kg bw) and xylazine (5 mg/kg bw) administered intraperitoneally. In the surgical plane, the right phrenic nerve was exposed and transected at the lower neck region. The efficacy of UDD induction was verified by the absence of contractile activity of the right diaphragm. Then, the wound was sutured and treated with a topical antiseptic. After 12 h, animals were euthanized under anesthesia by exsanguination and the right costal diaphragm was collected for functional, morphological and molecular analysis.