Determination of the temperature causing a nociceptive response in the tail of albino BALB/c mice

Designs for determining nociceptive response in rodents are of great use in neurology and experimental neuroscience. Immersing mice's tails in warm water is one of the most widely used procedures to evaluate this response; however, a wide range of temperatures are used in different studies. Knowing the temperature that produces a powerful nociceptive response in the tail of BALB/c mice is extremely useful.

Eight 2-month-old male BALB/c mice were used. A 14-cm high beaker was filled with water up to 13 cm. The animals' tails were immersed in the container with a starting temperature of 36°C. The water temperature was raised in 1°C increments until we identified the temperatures that produced nociceptive responses. That response was determined by counting the time taken before the mouse shook its tail to remove it from the water.

Six of the 8 mice began shaking their tails at the temperature of 51°C. All animals removed their tails from the water at the temperatures of 54°C, 55°C, and 56°C, taking a mean time of 8.54, 7.99, and 5.33seconds, respectively. ANOVA applied to the response times for each of the 3 temperatures indicated revealed a value of F=2.8 (P=.123).

The response time was statistically similar for the temperatures of 54°C, 55°C, and 56°C; however, the data were less dispersed for the latter temperature.