Chemical composition of snakes

Kölle, Petra; Böswald, Linda F.; Brenner, Annita; Kienzle, Ellen

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0266850

PLoS ONE

2022

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266850

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Chemical composition of snakes

Petra Kölle

Linda F. Böswald

Annita Brenner

et al.

Abstract: The present study was carried out to provide insight into the body composition of snakes, which is an important basis for determination of nutrient requirement and physiological processes. Carcasses of 86 captive snakes (31 pythons, 32 colubrids and 23 boas) were available for analysis. Skins and vertebrae bones of 11 snakes and livers of 64 snakes were analysed separately from the carcasses. Crude nutrients, major minerals and trace elements were investigated. The content of crude nutrients of the whole body … Show more

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2024

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Cited by 2 publications

References 34 publications

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Investigations on Xenopus laevis body composition and feeding behavior in a laboratory setting

Böswald,

Matzek,

von La Roche

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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The African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, has been used as a laboratory animal for decades in many research areas. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the nutritional physiology of this amphibian species and the feeding regimen is not standardized. The aim of the present study was to get more insights into the nutrient metabolism and feeding behavior of the frogs. In Trial 1, adult female X. laevis were fed either a Xenopus diet or a fish feed. After 4 weeks, they were euthanized, weighed, measured for morphometrics and dissected for organ weights and whole-body nutrient analysis. There were no significant differences between the diet groups regarding the allometric data and nutrient contents. The ovary was the major determinant of body weight. Body fat content increased with body weight as indicator of energy reserves. In Trial 2, 40 adult female frogs were monitored with a specifically developed digital tracking system to generate heat-maps of their activity before and up to 25 min after a meal. Three diets (floating, sinking, floating & sinking) were used. The main feed intake activity was fanning the feed into the mouth, peaking until 20 min after the meal. The different swimming characteristics of the diets thereby influenced the activity of the animals. Our dataset helps to adjust the feeding needs to the physical composition and also to meet the natural behavioral patterns of feed intake as a prerequisite of animal wellbeing and animal welfare in a laboratory setting.

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Investigations on Xenopus laevis body composition and feeding behavior in a laboratory setting

Böswald,

Matzek,

von La Roche

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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Optimization of an in situ liver perfusion method to evaluate hepatic function of juvenile American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis)

Umeki,

Hala,

Petersen

2024

Biology Open

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American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) are a sentinel species whose health is representative of environmental quality. However, their susceptibility to various natural or anthropogenic stressors is yet to be comprehensively studied. Understanding hepatic function in such assessments is essential as the liver is the central organ in the metabolic physiology of an organism, and therefore influences its adaptive capability. In this study, a novel liver perfusion system was developed to study the hepatic physiology of juvenile alligators. First, a cannulation procedure was developed for an in situ liver perfusion preparation. Second, an optimal flow rate of 0.5 ml/min/g liver was determined based on the oxygen content in the effluent perfusate. Third, the efficacy of the liver preparation was tested by perfusing the liver with normoxic or hypoxic Tyrode's buffer while various biomarkers of hepatic function were monitored in the effluent perfusate. Our results showed that in the normoxic perfusion, the aspartate transferase (AST) and lactate/pyruvate ratio in the perfusate remained stable and within an acceptable physiological range for 6 h. In contrast, hypoxia exposure significantly increased the lactate/pyruvate ratio in the perfusate after 2 h, indicating an induction of anaerobic metabolism. These results suggest that the perfused liver remained viable during the perfusion period and exhibited the expected physiological response under hypoxia exposure. The liver perfusion system developed in this study provides an experimental framework with which to study the basic hepatic physiology of alligators and elucidate the effects of environmental or anthropogenic stressors on the metabolic physiology of this sentinel species.

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Chemical composition of snakes

Cited by 2 publications

References 34 publications

Investigations on Xenopus laevis body composition and feeding behavior in a laboratory setting

Investigations on Xenopus laevis body composition and feeding behavior in a laboratory setting

Optimization of an in situ liver perfusion method to evaluate hepatic function of juvenile American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis)

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