Cigarette Smoking Baboon Model: Demonstration of Feasibility

Summary

Using operant conditioning techniques and a specially designed apparatus, and without surgical manipulation or obvious stress, we trained seven baboons to puff on lighted cigarettes and to inhale cigarette smoke. Smoking behavior was maintained for up to 15 months and could be controlled by manipulating minimum puff duration, water reward, and frequency of presenting cigarettes. Concentrations of blood carbon monoxide after 3 hr of smoking equaled or exceeded those reported for heavy human cigarette smokers. The cigarette smoking baboon models human smoking performance and is a useful animal model for studying the mechanism of the effects of cigarette smoke inhalation on the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and reproductive systems.