Rodent

Animal facility videoendoscopic intubation station: Tips and tricks from mice to rabbits

Endotracheal intubation of laboratory animals is a common procedure shared by several research fields for different purposes, such as mechanical ventilation of anaesthetized animals, instillation of cytotoxic nanoparticles, infectious agents or tumour cells for induction of disease models, and even...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Cannulation, Catheterization, & IntubationAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Miranda, A., Pego, J. M., Correia-Pinto, J. 2017. Animal facility videoendoscopic intubation station: Tips and tricks from mice to rabbits. Laboratory Animals 51(2), 204-207.

Sufentanil–medetomidine anaesthesia compared with fentanyl/fluanisone–midazolam is associated with fewer ventricular arrhythmias and death during experimental myocardial infarction in rats and limits infarct size following reperfusion

To improve infarct healing following myocardial infarction in humans, therapeutic interventions can be applied during the inflammatory response. Animal models are widely used to study this process. However, induction of MI in rodents is associated with high mortality due to...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: ter Horst, E. N., Krijnen, P. A. J., Flecknell, P. et al. 2018. Sufentanil–medetomidine anaesthesia compared with fentanyl/fluanisone–midazolam is associated with fewer ventricular arrhythmias and death during experimental myocardial infarction in rats and limits infarct size following reperfusion. Laboratory Animals 52(3), 271-279.

Forced-air pre-warming prevents peri-anaesthetic hypothermia and shortens recovery in adult rats

General anaesthesia disrupts thermoregulation in mammals, which can cause hypothermia. Decreases in core body temperature of 1℃ cause significant postoperative complications in humans, and peri-anaesthetic hypothermia in mice increases data variability, which can potentially increase animal use. In rats, the...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Schuster, C. J., Pang, D. S. J. 2018. Forced-air pre-warming prevents peri-anaesthetic hypothermia and shortens recovery in adult rats. Laboratory Animals 52(2), 142-151.

Local anaesthetic refinement of pentobarbital euthanasia reduces abdominal writhing without affecting immunohistochemical endpoints in rats

Sodium pentobarbital is a commonly used agent for euthanizing laboratory rats, however its high pH can cause abdominal discomfort after intraperitoneal injection. Previous studies suggest that the addition of a local anaesthetic may alleviate this discomfort, but the practice has...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Khoo, S. Y.-S., Lay, B. P. P., Joya, J. et al. 2018. Local anaesthetic refinement of pentobarbital euthanasia reduces abdominal writhing without affecting immunohistochemical endpoints in rats. Laboratory Animals 52(2), 152-162.

TNFα depleting therapy improves fertility and animal welfare in TNFα-driven transgenic models of polyarthritis when administered in their routine breeding

Transgenic tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)-driven models of polyarthritis such as the TNFΔARE mouse have proven to be invaluable in delineating aspects of inflammatory disease pathophysiology in humans. Unfortunately, the onset of joint destruction and inflammation in these models represents...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Naylor, A. J., Desanti, G., Saghir, A. N. et al. 2018. TNFα depleting therapy improves fertility and animal welfare in TNFα-driven transgenic models of polyarthritis when administered in their routine breeding. Laboratory Animals 52(1), 59-68.

A systematic review of discomfort due to toe or ear clipping in laboratory rodents

Toe clipping and ear clipping (also ear notching or ear punching) are frequently used methods for individual identification of laboratory rodents. These procedures potentially cause severe discomfort, which can reduce animal welfare and distort experimental results. However, no systematic summary...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Identification MethodAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Wever, K. E., Geessink, f. J., Brouwer, M. A. E. et al. 2017. A systematic review of discomfort due to toe or ear clipping in laboratory rodents. Laboratory Animals 51(6), 583-600.

Impact of bedding volume on physiological and behavioural parameters in laboratory mice

The standard housing temperature in animal facilities is substantially below the lower critical temperature of mice. This does not only endanger animal welfare, it can also jeopardize scientific research as cold stress has a major impact on mouse physiology. There...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Freymann, J., Tsai, P.-P., Stelzer, H. D. et al. 2017. Impact of bedding volume on physiological and behavioural parameters in laboratory mice. Laboratory Animals 51(6), 601-612.

Maximizing the success of bile duct cannulation studies in rats: Recommendations for best practice

Bile duct cannulation (BDC) studies are usually carried out in the rat to support the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion profiling of novel agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. The different aspects of these studies (e.g. surgical preparation, dosing and collection of bile)...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Cannulation, Catheterization, & IntubationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Burden, N., Kendrick, J., Knight, L. et al. 2017. Maximizing the success of bile duct cannulation studies in rats: Recommendations for best practice. Laboratory Animals 51(5), 457-464.

Minimally invasive technique for intrathecal administration of morphine in rats: Practicality and antinociceptive properties

The intrathecal (IT) route of administration represents a means to reduce the dose of morphine administered for analgesia, potentially minimizing interactions between opioid effects and experimental outcomes. Perceived technical difficulty, and previously described invasive methods, may limit its use. This...

Year Published: 2017Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Thomas, A. A., Detilleux, J., Sandersen, C. F. et al. 2017. Minimally invasive technique for intrathecal administration of morphine in rats: Practicality and antinociceptive properties. Laboratory Animals 51(5), 479-489.

Antinociceptive effects of voluntarily ingested buprenorphine in the hot-plate test in laboratory rats

Researchers performing experiments on animals should always strive towards the refinement of experiments, minimization of stress and provision of better animal welfare. An adequate analgesic strategy is important to improve post-operative recovery and welfare in laboratory rats and mice. In...

Year Published: 2017Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hestehave, S., Munro, G., Brønnum Pedersen, T. et al. 2017. Antinociceptive effects of voluntarily ingested buprenorphine in the hot-plate test in laboratory rats. Laboratory Animals 51(3), 264-272.