Practical considerations for in vivo mouse studies

Abstract

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are serious conditions that have reached pandemic proportions. The underlying physiology is complex with multiorgan interactions involved and, consequently, multiorgan approaches are necessary for researchers to elucidate and find treatments. As such, in vivo models are an invaluable resource for these studies and mice are, for many reasons, by far the most common species used. The use of animals comes with responsibilities to ensure their welfare and well-being: primarily for the sake of the mice themselves, but also to ensure quality of data. Physiological stress responses, such as adrenalin (epinephrine) and corticosterone release among others, have major consequences on metabolism. Additionally, behavioral stress responses are also a source of data variance. This chapter looks at the main in vivo procedures incorporated in mouse obesity/diabetes protocols and considers the practical factors involved that can be considered to minimize animal stress and improve study data quality.