Non-invasive physiology in conscious mice.
Ajit Kale1, Ivo Amende, Katrina Piskorski
1The CuraVita Corporation, Boston, MA, USA.
Alternatives to Laboratory Animals : ATLA
|April 13, 2013
Summary
Non-invasive ECG and gait analysis reveal physiological changes in mice under stress. These methods can aid drug development for heart and neuromuscular diseases in mouse models.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Animal Models
Background:
- Linking gene defects to disease phenotypes in mice is crucial for drug development.
- Current assays often require anesthesia and surgery, or lack physiological relevance.
- Gene or disease effects may only manifest under stress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To apply non-invasive electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring and gait imaging systems.
- To describe changes in ECG and gait dynamics in mice at doubled ambulatory speed.
- To assess the utility of these systems for disease modeling.
Main Methods:
- Utilized non-invasive ECG monitoring and gait imaging systems.
- Assessed B6C3H mice (n=5) at walking (18cm/s) and trotting (36cm/s) speeds.
- Monitored heart rate, stride frequency, and QRS interval duration.
Main Results:
- At 36cm/s, stride frequency increased to 5.2 ± 0.1 strides/second.
- Heart rate significantly increased to 814 ± 9 bpm after 90 seconds of trotting (p < 0.05).
- QRS interval duration significantly decreased (9.4 ± 0.3ms vs. 10.4 ± 0.3ms, p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Non-invasive ECG and gait analysis can detect physiological changes under stress in mice.
- These systems offer a physiologically relevant alternative to traditional assays.
- Potential applications include mouse models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Down syndrome, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
