Revisited guidelines for metabolic tolerance tests in mice

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Research
• Metabolic Research
• Animal Models

Background:

• Preclinical mouse models are vital for understanding disease mechanisms and evaluating drug efficacy.
• Glucose and insulin tolerance tests are common methods for assessing glucose metabolism in mice.
• Existing guidelines for these tests show significant heterogeneity, hindering reproducibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically review current guidelines and technical reports for performing glucose and insulin tolerance tests in mice.
• To identify confounding factors that influence the results of these metabolic tests.
• To advocate for standardized best practices to enhance research quality and clinical relevance.

Main Methods:

• Critical examination of published guidelines and technical reports on mouse metabolic tests.
• Analysis of confounding factors impacting glucose and insulin tolerance test outcomes.
• Discussion of experimental heterogeneity in current methodologies.

Main Results:

• Significant heterogeneity exists in the performance of glucose and insulin tolerance tests despite published guidelines.
• Various confounding factors can influence the reliability and reproducibility of test results.
• Lack of consensus on best practices impedes high-quality research.

Conclusions:

• Establishing consensual guidelines for mouse metabolic tests is essential.
• Standardization will improve the relevance and clinical translation of preclinical metabolic research.
• Addressing experimental heterogeneity is key to advancing metabolic research using mouse models.