Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 25, 2026
Determining Basal Energy Expenditure and the Capacity of Thermogenic Adipocytes to Expend Energy in Obese Mice
Published on: November 11, 2021
Measurement of Resting Energy Metabolism in Mice Using Oxymax Open Circuit Indirect Calorimeter
Yaohui Nie1, Timothy P Gavin2, Shihuan Kuang3
1Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA; Department of Health and Kinesiology and Max E. Wastl Human Performance Laboratory, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA.
Abstract:
Indirect calorimeter is a powerful tool to monitor resting energy metabolism through the measurement of oxygen (O2) consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) production. From the measurement of VO2 and VCO2, the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) can be calculated to assess energy fuel utilization and energy expenditure (Evan et al., 2012). Previously, indirect calorimeter has been widely used in metabolic disease research in mice to reveal the potential roles of specific genes or treatments in regulating energy metabolism (for example: Bi et al., 2014; Feng et al., 2014). Here, we described a protocol to evaluate the resting energy metabolism of C57BL/6 mice during dark and light cycles using the Oxymax Open Circuit indirect calorimeter.
