MicroRNAs as systemic biomarkers to assess distress in animal models for gastrointestinal diseases

Abstract

Severity assessment of animal experiments is mainly conducted by using subjective parameters. A widely applicable biomarker to assess animal distress could contribute to an objective severity assessment in different animal models. Here, the distress of three murine animal models for gastrointestinal diseases was assessed by multiple behavioral and physiological parameters. To identify possible new biomarkers for distress 750 highly conserved microRNAs were measured in the blood plasma of mice before and after the induction of pancreatitis. Deregulated miRNA candidates were identified and further quantified in additional animal models for pancreatic cancer and cholestasis. MiR-375 and miR-203 were upregulated during pancreatitis and down regulated during cholestasis, whereas miR-132 was upregulated in all models. Correlation between miR-132 and plasma corticosterone concentrations resulted in the highest correlation coefficient, when compared to the analysis of miR-375, miR-203 and miR-30b. These results indicate that miR-132 might function as a general biomarker for distress, whereas the other miRNAs were altered in a disease specific manner. In conclusion, plasma miRNA profiling may help to better characterize the level of distress in mouse models for gastrointestinal diseases.

Distress Analysis of Mice with Cervical Arteriovenous Fistulas

“…Unlike body weight, FCMs and burrowing activity, the nesting score is a subjective score; however, deficits of nest building also reflect a decline in animal welfare and impaired general condition [ 30 ]. In agreement with other studies [ 24 , 25 , 27 ], most mice were highly motivated to build nests in this study, but no significant difference between each time point was observed.…”

“…The advantage of faeces samples over blood samples is that they can be easily collected without additionally stressing the animals [ 26 ]. In the present research, consistent with other experimental results [ 24 , 25 , 27 ], there was a moderate increase in FCM level after the respective intervention. However, there was no statistically significant difference compared to the pre- operative phase.…”

“…In addition, a distress score sheet was used to evaluate AVF-bearing mice. Our work group has used this distress score sheet several times to successfully analyse distress in experimental mice [ 16 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 27 ]. All mice showed low distress scores, no more than 2 out of 66 theoretically possible points.…”

Biomarkers: Promising and valuable tools towards diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of Covid-19 and other diseases

“…Lactoferrin, a laboratory biomarker, is used for clostridium difficile infection detection [ 166 ]. MicroRNAs [ 167 ], electronic-nose such as surface acoustic wave, carbon black polymer composite, carbon black polymer composite, and metal oxide semiconductors [ 168 ] have been used to identify gastrointestinal diseases. The fatty acid-binding protein has also been evaluated as a diagnostic biomarker in Gastrointestinal Diseases [ 169 ].…”

An exploratory approach to identify microRNAs as circulatory biomarker candidates for epilepsy-associated psychiatric comorbidities in an electrical post-status epilepticus model

“…The aim of the present exploratory and hypothesis-generating study was to identify circulating microRNAs as potential blood biomarkers with consistent differential expression across different rat models of epilepsy (amygdala kindling with focal/generalized seizures, chemical and electrical induced status epilepticus (SE) with the development of spontaneous recurrent seizures). Recent evidence suggests, for instance, a potential role for miR-132 as a general distress-associated biomarker in murine models for gastrointestinal diseases 25 . These microRNA candidates should be evaluated as potential biomarkers for identifying patients at risk to develop epilepsy-associated psychiatric comorbidities, and, in addition, to assess animal distress and cumulative severity in epilepsy models.…”