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Evaluating rearing behaviour as a model-specific pain indicator in mouse osteotomy models
Angelique Wolter1,2,3, Paulin Jirkof4, Christa Thöne-Reineke3
1Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Germany.
Laboratory Animals
|September 8, 2023
Summary
Rearing behavior in mice after femur fracture surgery was reduced, but did not consistently indicate pain. This study suggests altered rearing is not a reliable pain sign in mouse fracture models.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Pain research
- Animal models
Background:
- Assessing pain in mouse fracture models relies on clinical signs and behaviors.
- Rearing behavior, involving hindlimb elevation, has motivational and ambulatory aspects.
- Limited research exists on rearing behavior as a pain indicator in mouse fracture models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if rearing behavior duration is affected by femur osteotomy in mice.
- To determine if rearing behavior can serve as an additional pain sign in mouse fracture models.
- To compare rearing behavior in male and female mice with rigid versus flexible fixation.
Main Methods:
- Femur osteotomy was performed on male and female C57BL/6N mice with rigid or flexible external fixation.
- Rearing behavior duration was measured at various time points post-surgery.
- Rearing duration was compared between groups and analyzed for association with limping.
Main Results:
- Rearing duration significantly decreased post-osteotomy in both sexes at 24, 48, and 72 hours.
- Anesthesia/analgesia alone did not affect rearing duration.
- Male mice showed increased relative rearing duration over time (especially with rigid fixation), while female mice did not.
Conclusions:
- Altered rearing behavior duration after femur osteotomy in mice does not provide sufficient evidence as a reliable indicator of model-specific pain.
- Sex-dependent differences in rearing recovery were observed.
- Rearing behavior did not correlate with the presence or absence of limping.
