@phdthesis{Wittek2023,
  author    = {Wittek, Laura},
  title     = {Comparison of metabolic cages - analysis of refinement measures on the welfare and metabolic parameters of laboratory mice},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-61120},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-611208},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {IV, 160},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Housing in metabolic cages can induce a pronounced stress response. Metabolic cage systems imply housing mice on metal wire mesh for the collection of urine and feces in addition to monitoring food and water intake. Moreover, mice are single-housed, and no nesting, bedding, or enrichment material is provided, which is often argued to have a not negligible impact on animal welfare due to cold stress. We therefore attempted to reduce stress during metabolic cage housing for mice by comparing an innovative metabolic cage (IMC) with a commercially available metabolic cage from Tecniplast GmbH (TMC) and a control cage. Substantial refinement measures were incorporated into the IMC cage design. In the frame of a multifactorial approach for severity assessment, parameters such as body weight, body composition, food intake, cage and body surface temperature (thermal imaging), mRNA expression of uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) in brown adipose tissue (BAT), fur score, and fecal corticosterone metabolites (CMs) were included. Female and male C57BL/6J mice were single-housed for 24 h in either conventional Macrolon cages (control), IMC, or TMC for two sessions. Body weight decreased less in the IMC (females—1st restraint: 6.94\%; 2nd restraint: 6.89\%; males—1st restraint: 8.08\%; 2nd restraint: 5.82\%) compared to the TMC (females—1st restraint: 13.2\%; 2nd restraint: 15.0\%; males—1st restraint: 13.1\%; 2nd restraint: 14.9\%) and the IMC possessed a higher cage temperature (females—1st restraint: 23.7°C; 2nd restraint: 23.5 °C; males—1st restraint: 23.3 °C; 2nd restraint: 23.5 °C) compared with the TMC (females—1st restraint: 22.4 °C; 2nd restraint: 22.5 °C; males—1st restraint: 22.6 °C; 2nd restraint: 22.4 °C). The concentration of fecal corticosterone metabolites in the TMC (females—1st restraint: 1376 ng/g dry weight (DW); 2nd restraint: 2098 ng/g DW; males—1st restraint: 1030 ng/g DW; 2nd restraint: 1163 ng/g DW) was higher compared to control cage housing (females—1st restraint: 640 ng/g DW; 2nd restraint: 941 ng/g DW; males—1st restraint: 504 ng/g DW; 2nd restraint: 537 ng/g DW). Our results show the stress potential induced by metabolic cage restraint that is markedly influenced by the lower housing temperature. The IMC represents a first attempt to target cold stress reduction during metabolic cage application thereby producing more animal welfare friendly data.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{NitezkiSchulzKraemer2018,
  author    = {Nitezki, Tina and Schulz, Nadja and Kr{\"a}mer, Stephanie},
  title     = {Color matters},
  series = {Laboratory animals : the international journal of laboratory animal science and welfare},
  volume    = {52},
  journal   = {Laboratory animals : the international journal of laboratory animal science and welfare},
  number    = {6},
  publisher = {Sage Publ.},
  address   = {Thousand Oaks},
  issn      = {0023-6772},
  doi       = {10.1177/0023677218766370},
  pages     = {611 -- 620},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Concerning standardization of laboratory animal husbandry, only exiguous changes of habitat can potentially influence animal physiology or results of behavioral tests. Routinely, mice chow is dyed when different types of diets are dispensed. Given the fact that the dye itself has no effects on food odor or flavor, we wanted to test the hypothesis that the color of chow has an impact on food uptake in mice. Twelve-week-old male mice of different strains (C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, C3H/HeJ, BALB/cJ; n = 12/strain) were single-housed in PhenoMaster (R) cages. After acclimatization standard mice chow in different colors was administered. Food intake was monitored as a two-alternative choice test of different color combinations. All animals had an average food intake of 3 g/d and no preferences were observed when a combination of identically colored food was offered. Preference tests yielded significant aversion to blue food and significant attraction to yellow and green food in C57BL/6 and DBA/2J mice. In C3H/HeJ and BALB/cJ mice no color-related pattern occurred. Selected mice strains have known differences concerning functionality of their visual sense. C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice are considered to be normal sighted at testing age, BALB/c is representative for albino strains and C3H mice carry mutations resulting in retinal alterations. Results suggesting that normal-sighted mice would be selective concerning food color when given the choice. Nevertheless, this does not influence overall quantity of food intake when animals were provided solely with food colored with a single dye. Moreover, visually impaired mice showed no color-related food preferences.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{NitezkiKleuserKraemer2018,
  author    = {Nitezki, Tina and Kleuser, Burkhard and Kr{\"a}mer, Stephanie},
  title     = {Fatal gastric distension in a gold thioglucose mouse model of obesity},
  series = {Laboratory Animals},
  volume    = {53},
  journal   = {Laboratory Animals},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Sage Publ.},
  address   = {Thousand Oaks},
  issn      = {0023-6772},
  doi       = {10.1177/0023677218803384},
  pages     = {89 -- 94},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {This case report addresses the problem of underreporting negative results and adverse side effects in animal testing. We present our findings regarding a hyperphagic mouse model associated with unforeseen high mortality. The results outline the necessity of reporting detailed information in the literature to avoid duplication. Obese mouse models are essential in the study of obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus. An experimental model of obesity can be induced by the administration of gold thioglucose (GTG). After transcending the blood-brain barrier, the GTG molecule interacts with regions of the ventromedial hypothalamus, thereby primarily targeting glucose-sensitive neurons. When these neurons are impaired, mice become insensitive to the satiety effects of glucose and develop hyperphagia. In a pilot study for optimising dosage and body weight development, C57BL/6 mice were treated with GTG (0.5 mg/g body weight) or saline, respectively. Animals were provided a physiological amount of standard diet (5 g per animal) for the first 24 hours after treatment to prevent gastric dilatation. Within 24 hours after GTG injection, all GTG-treated animals died of gastric overload and subsequent circulatory shock. Animals developed severe attacks of hyperphagia, and as the amount of provided chow was restricted, mice exhibited unforeseen pica and ingested bedding material. These observations strongly suggest that restricted feeding is contraindicated concerning GTG application. Presumably, the impulse of excessive food intake was a strong driving force. Therefore, the actual degree of suffering in the GTG-induced model of hyperphagia should be revised from moderate to severe.},
  language  = {en}
}