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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
A Neonatal BALB/c Mouse Model of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Published on: November 30, 2021
[Evaluation of an experimental model of necrotizing enterocolitis in rats]
Karine Furtado Meyer1, José Luiz Martins, Luiz Gonzaga de Freitas Filho
1Departamento de Cirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Brazil. karine_meyer@uol.com.br
Objective:
To evaluate an experimental model of necrotizing enterocolitis in rats proposed by OKUR e col. in 1995.
Methods:
On their first day of life, 28 EPM-Wistar rats weighing between 4 and 6 grams were submitted to hypoxia (H) by placing them in a CO2 gas chamber for rodents' sacrifice, where they received a 100% CO2 air flow for 5 minutes. After the hypoxia the animals were reanimated (R) with a 100% O2 air flow, also for 5 minutes. The animals were allocated in two groups: G1: control (n=12): rats not submitted to H-R; G2: (n=16): rats submitted to H-R. Segments of the small intestine and colon were prepared for histological analysis. The remaining intestine was used to measure tissular malondialdehyde.
Results:
Mean malondialdehyde dosages were 1.05 (0.44-2.03) and 2.60 (0.59- 6.4) nmol MDA/mg protein for G1 and G2, respectively. G2's mean value was significantly higher than in the control group (p<0.002). Significant statistical difference between the studied groups was found in relation the level of injury, with G1 presenting significantly lower levels than G2.
Conclusions:
The model showed that neonatal hypoxia may cause intestinal wall injury in rats. Despite the discreet histological injuries found, the method is suitable for evaluation of tissular free radicals.
