Cerebrospinal fluid glucose and protein values in normal rabbits

Abstract

41 SummaryIn 35 normal rabbits the cerebrospinal fluid glucose values ranged between 56 and 135 mg/dl, mean and standard deviation 78 ± 13 mg/dl. Cerebrospinal total protein values ranged from 16 to 66 mg/dl, mean and standard deviation 33 ± 10 mg/dl. The mean values were similar to those reported for human cerebrospinal fluid. Depression of the cerebrospinal glucose level in the rabbit may parallel the human situation and prove to be a useful marker of purulent inflammation.The rabbit model of human meningitis has recently received renewed attention (Delgado Phillips & A vent, 1978; Mitchell, Hinthorn & Liu, 1978; Scheid, Fletcher, Fink & Sande, 1978), and Sorensen, Breen & Benzler (1973) described the cerebrospinal protein, lactic dehydrogenase and cell count in the normal rabbit, and contrasted these values with those obtained after experimental meningeal inflammation. It is well known that the cerebrospinal glucose value is very low in purulent meningitis in man (Thorn, Adams, Braunwald, Isselbacher & Petersdorf, 1977), and it would be helpful to know the normal baseline values in rabbits for experimental reference. To our knowledge this information is not readily available (Jones, 1975 fluid analysis as they utilize small quantities of test fluid (0.2 ml for protein determination and 0.1 ml for glucose determination).Results 35 rabbits were subjected to intraventricular puncture to obtain cerebrospinal fluid. 9 rabbits underwent multiple puncture for protein determination. In 2 rabbits the protein level and in 1 rabbit the glucose level were not measured. The remaining 23 rabbits had a single intraventricular puncture for both protein and glucose determinations. The mean glucose value (± 1 s.d.) was 78 ± 13 mg/dl, with N = 50 (N = total number of determinations

Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid in healthy rabbits and rabbits with clinically suspected encephalitozoonosis

“…In the healthy rabbits, the protein concentration in csf was between 0·13 and 0·31 g/l, with a median of 0·24 g/l, again lower than previously published values of up to 0·66 g/l (Weisbroth and others 1974), and 0·59 g/l (Kusumi and Pluoffe 1980) and more similar to the established reference ranges in dogs and cats (Tipold 2003, Lorenz and Kornegay 2004, Fischer 2005). The different values may have been due to differences in age or breed, or the effects of blood contamination, storage or analytical methods.…”

“…The concentration of protein, leucocyte counts and cytology are the most important parameters (Parker 1972, Vandevelde and others 1987, Tipold 2003, Lorenz and Kornegay 2004). Weisbroth and others (1974) described a technique for collecting cisternal csf from rabbits similar to that used in cats and dogs, and reference values have been published for protein, glucose, cell count and leucocyte subpopulations in csf (Weisbroth and others 1974, Kusumi and Plouffe 1980, Curiel and others 1982). The analysis of csf has been widely used in experimental rabbits (Ludwig and others 1977, Grasso and others 2002, Zucker and others 2006), but there have been few studies of its value as a diagnostic tool in pet rabbits with naturally acquired neurological disease (Keeble and Meredith 2006).…”

Molecular characterization of rabbit phospholipid transfer protein: choroid plexus and ependyma synthesize high levels of phospholipid transfer protein

“…Protein content of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid averaged 55.5 Ϯ 4 mg/ml and 0.412 Ϯ 0.063 mg/ml, which falls within the normal range of reported rabbit values (41). Equal volumes of cerebrospinal fluid and plasma from three individual rabbits were pooled for one experiment because of the relatively low amount of cerebrospinal fluid that could be obtained from a single animal.…”

“…5). Given the fact that the protein content of normal rabbit cerebrospinal fluid is approximately two orders of magnitude lower than that of plasma (41) and assuming a normal specific activity of PLTP in cerebrospinal fluid, we estimate the relative PLTP concentration of rabbit cerebrospinal fluid to exceed that of plasma by at least 20-fold. If the cerebrospinal fluid, like plasma (48), were to contain both active and inactive forms of PLTP, extrapolation from activity to PLTP mass data would be further complicated.…”