Repeated measurements of motor activity in rats in long-term toxicity studies.

Introduction: In the light of 3R (replace, reduce, refine) principles in animal experimentation and increased focus on delayed effects of treatment on central nervous system, the incorporation of behavioural tests into standard toxicology studies as a complement or substitution of a stand-alone safety pharmacology study appears very attractive, but poses some challenges. In the present study, we evaluated the results of an open field test (standard part of the behavioural test batte- ries) incorporated into the 3-month regulatory toxicology study.

Methods: The study was performed in two rat strains most commonly used in toxicology studies (Wistar and Sprague Dawley (SprD)).

The young Göttingen minipig as a model of childhood and adolescent obesity: influence of diet and gender.

Objective: Gender and sex hormones influence the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome in humans and Göttingen minipigs. The aim of this study was to investigate possible gender differences in the metabolic response to a high energy diet in young Göttingen minipigs as a model of childhood/adolescent obesity.

Design And Methods: Nine-week-old male and female Göttingen minipigs were fed restrictedly on either a low energy diet (LED) or a high energy diet (HED) for 4 months (n = 5-7).

Influence of castration-induced testosterone and estradiol deficiency on obesity and glucose metabolism in male Göttingen minipigs.

Low testosterone and estradiol concentrations are predictive for the development of the metabolic syndrome in men and women, respectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of sex hormone deficiency on food intake, body weight, body composition and glucose metabolism in male Göttingen minipigs. Five adult male Göttingen minipigs were studied before castration (pre-cast), 10-18 days (post-cast 1) and 10-11 weeks (post-cast 2) after castration.

Evaluation of different methods for assessment of insulin sensitivity in Gottingen minipigs: introduction of a new, simpler method.

The use of animal models in diabetes research requires reliable tests for evaluation of insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function. Minipigs are being increasingly used in metabolic research, and the aim of this study was to compare different tests and indexes for evaluation of insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function in Göttingen minipigs. Hyperinsulinemic, isoglycemic clamp, intravenous (IVGTT) and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT), and a modified insulin tolerance test were performed in minipigs fed either low- or high-energy diet.

UCP1 ablation induces obesity and abolishes diet-induced thermogenesis in mice exempt from thermal stress by living at thermoneutrality.

As original studies of UCP1-ablated mice failed to demonstrate an obesogenic effect, alternative mechanisms for adaptive adrenergic thermogenesis have been sought. However, we demonstrate here that in C57Bl6 mice exempt from thermal stress (i.e.