Disease/Experimental Model

Adaptive wheel exercise for mouse models of Parkinson’s Disease

Background: Physical exercise has been extensively studied for its therapeutic properties in neurological disease, particularly Parkinson's Disease (PD). However, the established techniques for exercise in mice are not well suited to motor-deficient disease-model animals, rely on spontaneous activity or force...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Skelton, H., Grogan, D., Kotlure, A. et al. 2025. Adaptive wheel exercise for mouse models of Parkinson's Disease. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 414, 110314.

The use of rabbits used to propagate human lice for research

The globally important human diseases of trench fever, epidemic typhus, and relapsing fever are vectored by the human louse Pediculus humanus humanus. Although these conditions are epidemically quiescent at present, they persist in socially dysfunctional situations of war, deprivation, and...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Weisbroth, S. H. 2024. The use of rabbits used to propagate human lice for research. Comparative Medicine 74(3), 135–141.

Optimizing environmental enrichment for Sprague Dawley rats: Exemplary insights into the liver proteome

Background Considering the expected increase in the elderly population and the growing emphasis on aging-related biomedical research, the demand for aged laboratory animals has surged, challenging established husbandry practices. Our objective was to establish a cost-effective method for environmental enrichment,...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Roschke, N. N., Hillebrandt, K. H., Polenz, D. et al. 2024. Optimizing environmental enrichment for Sprague Dawley rats: Exemplary insights into the liver proteome. PLOS ONE 19(4), e0297497.

Improving rat welfare through the development of a peribulbar anaesthesia technique for ophthalmic procedures: A preliminary study

Rats are a commonly used animal model for the study of the pathogenesis and novel treatments of glaucoma, which is induced experimentally using invasive, painful procedures. Peribulbar anaesthesia (PBA) is frequently used in people and domestic animals prior to ophthalmic...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Eliav, A., Ofri, R., Brust, K. et al. 2024. Improving rat welfare through the development of a peribulbar anaesthesia technique for ophthalmic procedures: A preliminary study. Laboratory Animals 58(2), 116–126.

Tamoxifen exacerbates morbidity and mortality in male mice receiving medetomidine anaesthesia

Tamoxifen-induced CreER-LoxP recombination is often used to induce spatiotemporally controlled gene deletion in genetically modified mice. Prior work has shown that tamoxifen and tamoxifen-induced CreER activation can have off-target effects that should be controlled. However, it has not yet been...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Rashbrook, V. S., Denti, L., Ruhrberg, C. 2023. Tamoxifen exacerbates morbidity and mortality in male mice receiving medetomidine anaesthesia. Animal Welfare 32, e78.

Refining the welfare of immunocompromised mice receiving carbon tetrachloride (CCI4) to induce liver fibrosis

Our method provides evidence that we can alter CCI4 dosing and implement recovery techniques to enhance Animal Welfare, whilst maintaining sufficient levels of fibrosis in the liver.

Year Published: 2023Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Walczak-Gillies, Matthews, O., Fyfe, A. et al. 2023. Refining the welfare of immunocompromised mice receiving carbon tetrachloride (CCI4) to induce liver fibrosis. Animal Technology and Welfare 22(3), 237–239.

A minimally invasive bronchoscopic approach for direct delivery to murine airways and application to models of pulmonary infection

The laboratory mouse is used extensively for human disease modeling and preclinical therapeutic testing for efficacy, biodistribution, and toxicity. The variety of murine models available, and the ability to create new ones, eclipses all other species, but the size of...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Cannulation, Catheterization, & Intubation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Schelde, K., Rosenjack, J., Sonneborn, C. et al. 2023. A minimally invasive bronchoscopic approach for direct delivery to murine airways and application to models of pulmonary infection. Laboratory Animals 57(6), 611–622.

Evaluation of the effect of tramadol, paracetamol and metamizole on the severity of experimental colitis

Application of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) is often used to induce experimental colitis. Current state of the art is to refrain from the use of analgesics due to their possible interaction with the model. However, the use of analgesics would...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Analgesia, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Spalinger, M., Schwarzfischer, M., Niechcial, A. et al. 2023. Evaluation of the effect of tramadol, paracetamol and metamizole on the severity of experimental colitis. Laboratory Animals 57(5), 529–540.

An optimized method for intratracheal instillation in mice

Non-invasive intratracheal instillation is an important method for direct exposure of the respiratory tract which is commonly used in toxicology, environmental science, and other research fields. However, there is no standard operating process for non-invasive intratracheal instillation. To keep the...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Zeng, Y., Jin, H., Wang, J. et al. 2022. An optimized method for intratracheal instillation in mice. Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods 118, 107230.

Comparing three formulations of buprenorphine in an incisional pain model in mice

This study compared the therapeutic effects in mice of 3 different formulations of buprenorphine. These formulations were standard buprenorphine hydrochloride (Bup-HCL) and 2 different extended-release buprenorphine formulations (Bup-ER and Ethiqa-XR [Bup-XR]). Drugs were evaluated based on their ability to attenuate...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Analgesia, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Lopez-Echeverria, G., Alamaw, E., Gorman, G. et al. 2023. Comparing three formulations of buprenorphine in an incisional pain model in mice. JAALAS 62(6), 531–537.