Lung transplantation (LT) is the only treatment for many end-stage lung diseases. Despite significant progress in transplantology and surgery, LT remains a high-tech surgical procedure performed at select research centers. Primary graft dysfunction, acute rejection, and chronic lung allograft dysfunction are serious problems that can worsen lung transplant outcomes significantly. Using animal models in experimental studies to investigate these pathologic conditions is one of the more rational approaches. A literature review was conducted in order to select a suitable model that reproduces pathologic processes developing after LT. The literature was searched and analyzed in MEDLINE and Elibrary databases, and the US National Institute of Health guidelines for the period up to December 2023 were reviewed. It was found that the most frequently used models are small laboratory animal models (without LT) and large animal models (with LT). © 2024 Russian Transplant Society. All rights reserved.