Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Mongolian Gerbils as an Animal Model of Wound Healing
Published on: January 6, 2023
Gerbilline cholesteatoma development Part I: Epithelial migration pattern and rate on the gerbil tympanic membrane:
Steven P Tinling1, Richard A Chole
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Davis, California 95616, USA. sptinling@ucdavis.edu
Objective:
To determine the migration rate and pattern for keratin on the tympanic membrane (TM) of the gerbil and guinea pig in comparison to human data and determine which species is an appropriate model for investigating the relationship of epithelial clearance to cholesteatoma formation.
Study Design And Setting:
Ink drops were placed on the TM and their locations plotted daily.
Results:
Gerbils demonstrated a radial migration pattern away from the umbo, identical to that reported for humans, although the rate was 0.32 mm/day-3 times the human rate of 0.1 mm/day. Guinea pigs were significantly different from gerbils and humans, with a rate of 0.79 mm/day and a pattern of superior/inferior migration without anterior-posterior movement.
Conclusion:
Gerbils more closely resemble humans in rate and pattern of epithelial migration.
Significance:
Gerbils represent the most appropriate model for determining the relationship between keratin migration and cholesteatoma formation.
