Long-Term Care of Paraplegic Laboratory Mammals

Abstract

Repair of spinal cord injuries (SCIs) is still a major clinical challenge. Several attempts have been made to find a cure for this condition in experimental animals that could be extrapolated to humans. A key for success seems the availability of optimum animal models for testing different therapies. Complete spinal cord lesion in mammals is considered the most accurate injury model. In addition, long-term survival of animals seems more appropriate, as this increases the efficacy of the repair strategies. However, paraplegic animals require special care and treatment for proper longterm maintenance, and to date, there are no published protocols. This lack of available information has discouraged scientists from working with this injury model. Over the past 7 years, we have tested the repair efficacy of olfactory ensheathing glia in paraplegic rats for survival periods of more than 8 months. To keep these animals healthy for this long time, we adapted and administered treatments used in people with paraplegia. These same protocols (developed for rodents in our group) are being applied to paraplegic monkeys. In this review, we provide an overview of the proper handling and care of paraplegic adult laboratory mammals for long periods. This information might help other groups to optimize the outcome obtained and to better evaluate the prospect of a given experimental repair strategy. In addition, the use of human treatments in paraplegic animals provides a more realistic model for a later transfer to the clinical arena.

Methods for behavioral testing of spinal cord injured rats

“…The substrate in the cages of the animals should be soft, smooth, and absorbent to avoid complications of the skin, joints and bones. Washing the animals might also be helpful to prevent infections (Santos-Benito et al, 2006). The bedding should be changed periodically.…”

“…The severely injured animal has decreased weight support and locomotion, which reduces the extent of the space in which the animal moves and also decreases the mean distance between the bottom of the animal's trunk and the ground. The need for frequent cleaning increases with the severity of the injury and the length of the study (Santos-Benito et al, 2006).…”

Lizard tail spinal cord: a new experimental model of spinal cord injury without limb paralysis

“…Secondary conditions often lead to the animal's death. Therefore, the animals have to be observed and treated for the loss of weight, constipation, urinary tract infection, hematuria, pressure ulcer, dysesthesia, vaginal infection, renal failure, venous thrombosis, neurogenic shock, and spasticity (2).…”

“…Tests performed on primates, pigs, cats, or dogs provide a better understanding of the observed processes, but require complex housing conditions (2). First-line assessments and pilot studies do not require the use of large mammals.…”

“…First-line assessments and pilot studies do not require the use of large mammals. Mammals such as rats and mice are used in screening tests; however, their daily care and housing requirements, although easier, may be comparable to those necessary for larger mammals used as animal models (2). Fish and amphibians are other small animals used in experiments in vivo (1,5).…”