Assessing Accumulation of Organic Material on Rodent Cage Accessories

Allen, Kenneth P.; Csida, Tarrant; Thulin, Joseph D

doi:10.30802/aalas-jaalas-20-000087

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In contrast, Bigelow et al reported that while double-decker (DD) cages allow rats to stand upright, permitting them to engage in normal ethological behavior, they also increase fighting behavior [10]. Additionally, Allen et al reported that differences in cage floor space did not affect breeding parameters in rats [11]. These findings suggest that most EEs increase natural behaviors and alleviate psychological distress in rat housing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Double-decker cage reduces mount frequency and ejaculation latency, resulting in reduced weight loss in male rats after mating behavior

BO,

FUKUDA,

OZAKI

et al. 2024

Exp. Anim.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rats were the first mammals to be domesticated for scientific research, and abundant physiological data are available on them. Rats are expected to continue to play an important role as experimental animals, especially with advancements such as CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Environmental enrichment aims to promote species-specific behaviors and psychological well-being. In the present study, we designed a doubledecker (DD) cage, which utilizes two stacked plastic cages for rat enrichment, and investigated the influence of housing in the DD cage on rat mating behavior. The results indicated that mount frequency, total mount counts, and total ejaculation latency were significantly lower in the DD cages than in the single-decker (SD) cages. Notably, in the DD cages, the body weight loss of male rats after mating behavior was lower than that observed in the SD cage. Water consumption per day during mating behavior was also significantly lower in the DD cages, although no significant differences were observed in daily food intake during mating behavior. In addition, reproductive performance, including pregnancy rate and birth rate, did not change in the DD cages. In summary, our study demonstrated that DD cages reduce mount frequency and ejaculation latency during rat mating, resulting in decreased water consumption and weight loss in male rats. Therefore, housing in DD cages may serve as a beneficial enrichment for rats.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Double-decker cage reduces mount frequency and ejaculation latency, resulting in reduced weight loss in male rats after mating behavior

BO,

FUKUDA,

OZAKI

et al. 2024

Exp. Anim.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Establishment and refinement of a DEN-induced hepatocellular carcinoma model in rats

Peng,

Ye,

et al. 2024

Oncologie

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world with complex etiology, high tumor heterogeneity, and low efficacy of treatment. The establishment of an animal model that is close to the clinical situation of hepatocellular carcinoma and can be successfully modeled many times is of great significance to the study of the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods We used Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) to induce hepatocellular carcinoma in rodents and compared four models of DEN-induced hepatocellular carcinoma. Group C (Control): rats were fed a standard laboratory rat diet and freely drank normal water. Group P (Peritoneal injection): rats were administered an IP injection (50 mg/kg/week) between 5 and 23 weeks after birth. Ten microliter of DEN solution would be injected per g of rat. Group O (DEN-Fed group): rats were allowed unrestricted access to water contaminated with 0.01 % DEN between the ages of 7 and 15 weeks. 0.2 mL of DEN drinking water was consumed per gram of rat. Group P+O (Combined peritoneal injection and Oral feeding): rats were administered an IP injection (50 mg/kg) at weeks 3 and 5 post-birth, and they freely drank water contaminated with 0.012 % DEN between weeks 7 and 14 post-birth. We used an ultrasound scan, biochemical testing, haematoxylin, and eosin staining, Masson staining, Wolf scarlet staining, Ki67, CD34, a-SMA, CD8, and CD68 staining to compare between groups. Results Liver dissection and ultrasound scan showed that compared to other groups, the liver of Group P+O was darker in color, with more grey-white cancer nodules and larger localized tumors, and the structure of the tumors was slightly disorganized, with the elastography hardness of the middle lobe and the right lobe was slightly increased. The alanine aminotransferase and total bilirubin of Group P+O were higher than those of Group O but lower than those of Group P. Haematoxylin and eosin staining showed that the tumors of Group P+O were large, with large tumor cords and pseudo-glandular, the degree of differentiation was medium and surrounded by more fatty lesions. Conclusions We conclude that combined DEN treatment is more effective, stable, and has the advantage of multiple modalities, leading to faster tumor formation.

show abstract

Evaluation and Refinement of a Spot-change–only Cage Management System for Mice

Jones

Thaweethai

Molk

et al. 2022

j am assoc lab anim sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Maximizing operational efficiency while maintaining appropriate animal housing conditions is a continuous focus of research animal care programs. Our institution’s longstanding approach to cage-change management included scheduled cage changes every 2 wk, with spot changes if cages met established visual criteria during the intervening period. This 2-wk plus spot changing (2WS) practice for mice housed in IVC was problematic during the COVID-19 pandemic when the need arose to minimize workload to reduce on-site staffing out of concern for employee health and possible absenteeism. With the approval of the IACUC, a spot-change–only (SCO) process was adopted, with the requirement to evaluate microenvironmental parameters under both practices to confirm acceptable equivalence. These parameters (humidity, temperature, and ammonia) were evaluated in a controlled study that found no significant difference between the 2 groups. Ammonia levels did not exceed 10 ppm in any group throughout the study. To assess operational differences between these 2 approaches, we collected cage-change data and employee feedback from facilities operating under these schemes. The SCO method required fewer cage changes than did the 2WS method (10.3% per day with 2WS and 8.4% per day with SCO). Despite this benefit, through a Plan–Do–Check–Act process that has been regularly employed at our institution, employee feedback identified important operational challenges associated with the SCO practice. The SCO approach was thus refined into a scheduled spot change (SSC) practice that builds on the SCO model by incorporating a scheduled focused cage evaluation period. Based on subsequent feedback, the SSC was found to retain the efficiency benefits afforded by the SCO model and simultaneously alleviated staff and operational concerns. This result underscores the importance of integrating staff feedback with a performance standard-based approach when assessing cage-change management.

show abstract

Assessing Accumulation of Organic Material on Rodent Cage Accessories

Cited by 5 publications

References 29 publications

Double-decker cage reduces mount frequency and ejaculation latency, resulting in reduced weight loss in male rats after mating behavior

Double-decker cage reduces mount frequency and ejaculation latency, resulting in reduced weight loss in male rats after mating behavior

Establishment and refinement of a DEN-induced hepatocellular carcinoma model in rats

Evaluation and Refinement of a Spot-change–only Cage Management System for Mice

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About