Schulz1 animal documentation

Lung function survey in 7 inbred strains of mice   (2000)

Schulz H
With: Reinhard C, Eder G, Fuchs H, Ziesenis A, Heyder J




Vendor: Mice obtained from The Jackson Laboratory.

Health status report: The Jackson Laboratory Diagnostics Laboratory routinely monitors and documents animal health status using statistically valid sampling procedures and standard protocols.

See JAX®Mice Quality Control Programs or the JAX®Mice Catalog for the list of agents monitored.

Environment before shipping

    Feed: All strains maintained on a 6% fat diet (Purina 5K52) except DBA/2J which was maintained on a weekly alternating diet between the 6% fat diet and a 4% fat diet (Purina 5K54).

    Water: Adjusted with hydrochloric acid to pH 2.8-3.1 and supplemented with menadione sodium bisulfite (final concentration 0.4 milligram/milliliter) to compensate for potential decrease in vitamin K activity upon autoclaving; water supplied in pinhole type bottles (Thoren Caging Systems, Inc. Hazelton, PA).

    Housing: Thoren cages; Thoren Maxi Miser #3 cages used for some strains as part of a PIV (pressurized individually ventilated) system.

    Bedding: Steam autoclaved white pine shavings.

    Photoperiod: 14 hours light (generally covering the hours of 4:30 AM to 6:30 PM) 10 hours dark.

    Temperature: 18 - 24 °C

    Relative humidity: ~50%.


Acclimation period

    Duration: typically 2-3 weeks (until mice were 12-14 weeks of age)

    Housing: Mice were maintained four per unit in isolator ventilated cages (IVC-Racks, BioZone).

    Feed: Altromin 1324 (breeding diet for rat and mice, gamma-irradiated) ad libitum

    Water: ad libitum

    Bedding: Altromin (pulpy wood bedding, fiber structure)

    Photoperiod: 12 hours light (on at 6:00 A.M.) 12 hours dark.

    Temperature: 23 - 25 °C

    Humidity: 45 - 55 % relative humidity


Health status report

Mice housed in other IVC units in the same room were monitored by sentinel mice on spoiled bedding. No viral and no parasitological infections were detectable and bacterial infections were negative for all tests except for Helicobacter.

Testing period

Lung function tests were performed between 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. Sixteen males and 16 females of each strain were tested. To account for a possible effect of the circadian rhythm, the sequence of measurements was randomized within a strain. Two males were tested in the morning, and two females were tested in the afternoon. The sequence was reversed the next day.

Months of testing:
    C3H/HeJ 2000 May
    BALBc/ByJ2000 June-July
    C57BL/6J 2000 July
    A/J 2000 August
    FVB/NJ 2000 October
    129S1/SvImJ2000 November
    SWR/J 2001 January


Anesthesia

    Anesthetics: isofluorane and mixture of xylazine and ketamine

    Dose and Route: 5% isofluorane inhalation for one minute followed by mixture of xylazine (IP, 4.1 mg/kg body weight) and ketamine (IP, 188.3 mg/kg body weight); isofluorane ventilation (1%) used to maintain anesthesia during testing

    Restraint: mice were place in a whole body box prior to isofluorane treatment; anesthetized animals were placed on a heating pad without restraint under an infared lamp to maintain body temperature

    Monitoring: core temperature (via rectal thermometer); cardiac function (via electrocardiogram)


Additional treatment

An injection of pancuronium (IP, 1 mg/kg) was given for complete muscle relaxation before the first lung function measurement was taken.