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Assessing Functional Performance in the Mdx Mouse Model
Published on: March 27, 2014
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A novel protocol for assessing exercise performance and dystropathophysiology in the mdx mouse
Andrew B Rocco1, Jewel C Levalley, Jennifer A Eldridge
1College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington Center for Muscle Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA.
Muscle & Nerve
|January 23, 2014
Summary
Assessing respiratory function in mdx mice reveals significant deficits in exercise performance. This method offers a sensitive way to study Duchenne muscular dystrophy in whole animals over time.
Area of Science:
- Animal models of disease
- Exercise physiology
- Respiratory system function
Background:
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in young mdx mice presents mild, induced dystrophinopathy.
- Systemic muscle function is infrequently assessed in whole animal models of DMD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate respiratory and exercise performance in mdx mice using a modified induction protocol.
- To establish a sensitive method for assessing systemic muscle function in vivo.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a modified TREAT-NMD protocol for induction of dystrophinopathy.
- Assessed respiratory and exercise performance through maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) tests.
- Monitored VO2, VCO2, and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) during exercise.
Main Results:
- mdx mice exhibited significantly lower VO2max, time to exhaustion, speed at exhaustion, and total expended calories.
- Observed episodic fluctuations in VO2 and VCO2, leading to dissociated VO2 and RER patterns.
- Noted significantly greater VO2 coefficient of variation and RER values, and lower minimal VO2 in mdx mice.
Conclusions:
- Quantifying respiratory performance during exercise is a valuable tool for studying mdx mouse pathophysiology.
- This approach assesses intact animals longitudinally, offering greater sensitivity than some histological markers.
- It provides a comprehensive assessment of systemic muscle function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy models.
