Stress response of rats to handling and experimental procedures

Abstract

The effects were observed of moving male, adult Han:Sprague rats in their cages or of exposure to ether for 1 min on the plasma concentration profiles of 25 blood characteristics linked with stress and shock reactions. 5 min after the stress serum prolactin, corticosterone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, triiodothyronine and thyroxin levels were elevated 150-500% compared with those in blood collected within 100 s of entering the animal room. Heart rate (telemetrically recorded), packed cell volume,, haemoglobin and plasma protein content were 10-20% elevated 2-10 min after cage movement or 2-20 min after ether confrontation over those of controls sampled within 50 s, indicating circulatory and microcirculatory shock reactions. Serum glucose, pyruvate and lactate concentrations rose by 20-100% 1-5 min after cage movement and 1-15 min after ether exposure. Phosphate, calcium, urea, apartate and alanine transferases, alkaline phosphalase and leucine arylamidase were not altered significantly by either stressor, while potassium and bound glycerol fell for 1 min and 5-20 min respectively. The presence of a familiar animal attendant working in the room without touching the cages did not markedly affect the blood characteristics being studied.

Impact of chronic catheterization and automated blood sampling (Accusampler) on serum corticosterone and fecal immunoreactive corticosterone metabolites and immunoglobulin A in male rats

“…Twenty-four hours after surgery, the concentrations began to fluctuate in a daily rhythm with high concentrations in the evening and low concentrations in the morning. A similar pattern has been registered previously by Windle et al (1998a,b), who found values very similar to the ones reported in the present study, which are also in the same range (100 ng/ml) as described by Gärtner et al (1980) in unstressed rats. This rather quick return to normality, even if stress persists, has been previously described by Manser (1992).…”

Influence of different planes of energy supply prior to the breeding season on blood metabolites in female mink (Mustela vison)

“…These results were in agreement with calculations on substrate oxidation in animals exposed to a similar feeding regime [31] which showed a high level of fat oxidation during periods of restriction, whereas protein oxidation provided the major contribution to the total heat production when the food supply was ample, and with results by Fink and Tauson [17] showing negative values for retained energy [22] showing direct proportionality between insulin and level of food intake, and own previous results in mink [17]. [17], pig [16] and sheep [27] showing that [10], which probably was caused by the handling in connection with blood sampling (mink: B o rsting and Damgaard [ 10] and rat: Gdrtner et al [19]). The differences in glucose were, however, small throughout the experiment, confirming the results of Armstrong and Britt [3] showing that …”

Are the effects of different enrichment designs on the physiology and behaviour of DBA/2 mice consistent?

“…To minimize the effect of sampling order on the values of corticosterone and thyroxine (described by Gä rtner et al 1980, Shanks et al 1990, Dahlborn et al 1996, four mice were euthanized together in their home cage and sampling was done alternating in groups of one cage per each group (NE, E1, E2). The sampling order was unalterable until all of the animals had been euthanized.…”