Assessment of Murine Exercise Endurance Without the Use of a Shock Grid: An Alternative to Forced Exercise
Assessment of Murine Exercise Endurance Without the Use of a Shock Grid: An Alternative to Forced Exercise
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DOI：
10.3791/51846
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发表时间：
2014-08-01
影响因子：
1.2
通讯作者：
Quinn, LeBris S.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Conner, Jennifer D.;Wolden-Hanson, Tami;Quinn, LeBris S.
利用实验室小鼠模型，负责耐力运动代谢益处的分子途径开始被定义。评估小鼠运动耐力的最常见方法是在装有冲击栅的机动跑步机上强迫跑步。停止跑步的动物被移动的跑步机皮带推到一个栅格上，这个栅格提供了脚电；为了躲避负面刺激，老鼠又回到了跑步机腰带上跑步。然而，使用电击器械引起的回避行为和心理压力可能会干扰跑步耐力的量化，以及运动后血清激素和细胞因子水平的混乱测量。在这里，我们演示并验证了一种改进的方法，可以在电动跑步机上测量幼稚的C57BL/6实验室小鼠的跑步耐力，而不使用冲击栅。当小鼠预先适应跑步机时，它们会自愿以每只小鼠特定的步态速度跑步。电击栅格的使用被使用压舌器的人类操作员的温和鼓励所取代，再加上对鼠标部分自愿奔跑的敏感性。用于量化每只小鼠的跑步至疲惫时间的明确终点被定义并反映在疲惫的行为迹象中，例如张开的姿势和吃力的呼吸。这种方法是一种人性化的改进，也减少了应力对实验参数的混淆影响。
Using laboratory mouse models, the molecular pathways responsible for the metabolic benefits of endurance exercise are beginning to be defined. The most common method for assessing exercise endurance in mice utilizes forced running on a motorized treadmill equipped with a shock grid. Animals who quit running are pushed by the moving treadmill belt onto a grid that delivers an electric foot shock; to escape the negative stimulus, the mice return to running on the belt. However, avoidance behavior and psychological stress due to use of a shock apparatus can interfere with quantitation of running endurance, as well as confound measurements of postexercise serum hormone and cytokine levels. Here, we demonstrate and validate a refined method to measure running endurance in naive C57BL/6 laboratory mice on a motorized treadmill without utilizing a shock grid. When mice are preacclimated to the treadmill, they run voluntarily with gait speeds specific to each mouse. Use of the shock grid is replaced by gentle encouragement by a human operator using a tongue depressor, coupled with sensitivity to the voluntary willingness to run on the part of the mouse. Clear endpoints for quantifying running time-to-exhaustion for each mouse are defined and reflected in behavioral signs of exhaustion such as splayed posture and labored breathing. This method is a humane refinement which also decreases the confounding effects of stress on experimental parameters.