Refining urine collection in mice: Development of an innovative urine collection device

Urine collection can be challenging in studies involving small rodents like mice, as the actual methods of collection are anxiogenic and constrain animal welfare while having high variability in the volume of urine collected. To improve the current methods and eventually reduce the impact on the well-being of mice, we developed an innovative 3D-printed urine collection device (UCD). This two-compartment UCD is shaped to fit in classical husbandry cages and allows urine collection by spontaneous urination from two mice housed in their own cage without cross-contamination while enabling potential social interactions. We used our UCD to study the evolution of urinary parameters related to renal functions in a model of antibody-mediated chronic kidney disease. Overall, we report here a time-saving and affordable method for urine collection providing a large amount of uncontaminated urine and which we believe may improve animal welfare in comparison with other methods.