common laboratory animals - explanation

1. COMMON LABORATORY
ANIMALS
MICE,RAT,RABBIT,GUINEA PIG
Dr Manish Mohan

2. CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• History
• Lab animals – biological data
- physiological data
- experimental uses
- Blood collection

3. Historical Background
 Aristotle (384–322 B.C.)
Anatomical difference
 Galen (A.D. 129–199)
''vivisection''

4. Medical advances achieved through animal
research
• 1796 - small pox vaccine –cow
• 1881 - anthrax vaccine – sheep
• 1885 - rabies vaccine – dog, rabbit
• 1942 - Rh factor discovered – monkey
• 1954 - polio vaccine developed – mouse, monkey
• 1970 - lithium approved- rat, Guinea pig
• 1984 - monoclonal antibodies developed –mice
• 2000 - brain signal transduction –mouse, rat

5. ANIMALS USED IN RESEARCH

6. MICE (Mus Musculus)
• Smallest
• Easy to handle
• can be easily maintain
• small dose drug required
• strains -
Swiss albino mice
Balb/C
C-57

7. Biological data
• Typical adult weight 20-40 g
• Average life span 1.5-2.5 yrs.
• Gestation period 19-21 days
• Average litter size 5-7
• Estrous cycle 4-5 days

8. Physiological data
• Heart rate – 330-780 beats /min
• Resp rate – 84-230/min
• Tidal volume – 0.1-0.23 ml
• Daily food intake – 4-5 g

9. NUDE MOUSE
• Hairless genetic mutant
• Thymus absent(FOXN1 gene)
T –LYMPHOCYTE
Tissue immunity and transplantation research

10. Blood collection
• Blood collection requiring anesthesia
- Tail vein
- Tail snip
- Orbital sinus
- Jugular vein
• Blood collection not requiring anesthesia
-Saphenous vein
-Dorsal pedal vein

11. Blood sample collection from mouse tail vein

12. EXPERIMENTAL USES
• Toxicological studies
• Teratogenicity studies
• Bioassay of insulin
• Screening of analgesic and anticonvulsant
• Screening of chemotherapeutic agents
• Studies related to genetics and cancer research

13. THE RAT(Rattus norvegicus)
• Albino rat –commonest
• 2 strains –wistar
Sprague dawley

14. Wistar rats Sprague –Dawley
• Resistant to infections
• Low incidence of tumors
• Wide head
• Long ears
• Tail length < body length
 Rapidly growing
 Longer and narrower head
 Longer tail
 ↓ respiratory infections

15. Biological data
• Typical adult weight - 250 g
• Average life span - 2-3yrs.
• Gestation period - 21-23 days
• Average litter size - 8-10
• Estrous cycle - 4-5 days

16. Physiological data
• Heart rate – 300-500 beats /min
• Resp rate – 65-180/min
• Tidal volume – 1.5 ml
• Daily food intake – 10-20 g

17. Special features
• Do not vomit
• Do not have tonsil and gall bladder
• Diffuse pancreas
• Coprophagy
• Tail- thermoregulation

18. Blood sample collection
• Blood collection not requiring anesthesia
-Saphenous vein
-Dorsal pedal vein
• Blood collection requiring anesthesia
-Tail vein
-Orbital sinus
-Jugular vein
-Blood vessel cannulation

19. Experimental uses
• Study of analgesics and anticonvulsants.
• Study of oestrus cycle, mating behavior and lactation.
• Gastric acid secretion
• Hepatotoxicity studies
• Study on mast cells
• Bioassay of various hormones, such as insulin, oxytocin, vasopressin

20. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RATS AND MICE
• The rat is much larger in size and has greater body weight as compared to
the mouse
• The mouse has a pointed face when compared to the rat
• The rat has a thick and heavy tail
• The rat has a higher pair of chromosomes, i.e. 22 pairs
• The rats have a longer gestation period compared with the mice

21. RABBITS (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
• Docile animal
• New Zealand white strains
• Large, broad, and muscular body.

22. Biological data
• Typical adult weight 1500-5000 g
• Average life span 4-6 yrs.
• Gestation period 31 days
• Average litter size 6-8

23. Physiological data
• Daily food intake – 150-300g
• Heart rate - 130-300 beats/min
• RR -38-60 /min
• Tidal volume -19-24 ml
• Blood volume - 4-8 (% B W )

24. Special features…..
• It has huge caecum and long appendix
• Enzyme atropine esterase is present
• Very sensitive to histamine
• Ovulation is non spontaneous

25. Blood collection
• Marginal ear vein -preferred site
• jugular vein
• orbital sinus
• cardiac puncture of anaesthetized rabbit

26. EXPERIMENTAL USES
• Pyrogen testing
• Bioassay of anti-diabetic, curare form drugs and sex hormones
• Screening of agents affecting capillary permeability
• Drugs used in glaucoma
• Pharmacokinetic studies

27. EXPERIMENTAL USES
• animal of choice for cardiac studies
• Teratogenicity studies
• Suitable for researches on reproduction
• Study on miotic and mydriatics

28. DRAIZE TEST
Testing for cosmetics and other chemicals
Substance
Rabbit's eyes or skin
Redness, irritation or any damage

29. GUINEA PIGS ( CAVIA PORCELLUS )
• Docile animals
• Susceptible to TB and anaphylaxis
• Highly sensitive to histamine, penicillin
• Requires exogenous vit c in diet

30. Biological data
• Typical adult weight 800 g
• Average life span 3-5 yrs.
• Gestation period 68 days
• Average litter size 3-4

31. Physiological data
• Daily food intake – 40-50g
• Heart rate - 260-400 beats/min
• RR -70-104 /min
• Blood volume – 6-12 (% B W )

32. Blood Collection
• simple venesection of the marginal ear vein
• cardiac puncture /metatarsal veins of anaesthetized guinea pig

33. EXPERIMENTAL USES
• Evaluation of bronchodilators
• Anaphylactic and immunological studies
• Study of histamine and antihistamines
• Bioassay of digitalis
• Evaluation of local anesthetics

34. EXPERIMENTAL USES
• Hearing experiments study
• Isolated tissues especially ileum, heart
• Study on TB
• Study on ascorbic acid metabolism

35. Blood collection…

36. THANK YOU