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An Efficient Single—Person Technique for Milk Sampling from Laboratory Mice
Published on: March 28, 2025
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Protocol for expression of murine milk using modified human breast pump parts
Cydney Meyer1, Joseph L Alcorn2
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA.
STAR Protocols
|July 30, 2023
Summary
This study details a new protocol for collecting murine milk, essential for analyzing its nutritional and immunomodulatory properties to improve neonatal health.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Sciences
- Animal Research
- Neonatal Health
Background:
- Breast milk's nutritional and immunomodulatory components are vital for infant health.
- Optimizing neonatal health requires understanding these milk components.
- Current methods may not yield sufficient murine milk for comprehensive analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a reproducible protocol for expressing and isolating murine milk.
- To enable detailed analysis of milk components and bioactivity.
- To support research into optimizing neonatal health through breast milk studies.
Main Methods:
- A protocol involving dam-pup separation, anesthesia, and oxytocin administration.
- Utilizing minimally modified commercial breast pump parts for milk expression.
- Detailed steps for efficient and complete murine milk collection.
Main Results:
- Successful isolation of murine milk in sufficient quantities for analysis.
- The protocol is described for reproducibility and further research.
- Enables investigation into breast milk's role in neonatal development.
Conclusions:
- The presented protocol provides a reliable method for murine milk collection.
- Facilitates in-depth analysis of breast milk's bioactive and nutritional factors.
- Contributes to advancing research on neonatal health and development.
