A simple method for short-term maintenance of neonatal mice without foster mothers

© 2020 by the 1. Licensee POL Scientific, USA. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

Download PDF

Cite

XML

Abstract

Mice are typically weaned from their mother between 21 and 28 days of age, or at 10 grams of body weight. However, some biochemical experiments need to be done before the weaning days, and the mother might cannibalize or ignore those manipulated pups. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for maintenance of neonatal mice without the presence of their mothers for biomedical research. The basic instinct of neonate mice to hide under covers is harnessed for their survival in a mother-free environment. When covers are soaked with milk and the only targets for hiding, the neonates would acquire their nutrients at least in an involuntary fashion. The protocol is simple and can be used for neonatal rodent studies for short periods of times, and assures the accuracy of the biomedical experiments if survival rate of neonates is critical.

Keywords

neonate

rodent

baby mice

maintenance

foster mother

References

1. Badyal DK, Desai C. Animal use in pharmacology education and research: the changing scenario. Indian J Pharmacol. 2014;46(3):257-65.
2. Cohen AA. Aging across the tree of life: The importance of a comparative perspective for the use of animal models in aging. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2018;1864(9 Pt A):2680-9.
3. Evans JP, Sutton PA, Winiarski BK, Fenwick SW, Malik HZ, Vimalachandran D, et al. From mice to men: Murine models of colorectal cancer for use in translational research. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2016;98:94-105.
4. Fabian-Jessing BK, Vallentin MF, Secher N, Hansen FB, Dezfulian C, Granfeldt A, et al. Animal models of cardiac arrest: A systematic review of bias and reporting. Resuscitation. 2018;125:16-21.
5. Koebele SV, Bimonte-Nelson HA. Modeling menopause: The utility of rodents in translational behavioral endocrinology research. Maturitas. 2016;87:5-17.
6. Puiman P, Stoll B. Animal models to study neonatal nutrition in humans. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2008;11(5):601-6.
7. Flurkey K, Currer JM, Jackson L. The Jackson Laboratory handbook on genetically standardized mice2009.
8. Barman M, Murray F, Bernardi AI, Broberg K, Bolte S, Hesselmar B, et al. Nutritional impact on Immunological maturation during Childhood in relation to the Environment (NICE): a prospective birth cohort in northern Sweden. BMJ Open. 2018;8(10):e022013.
9. Calder PC, Krauss-Etschmann S, de Jong EC, Dupont C, Frick JS, Frokiaer H, et al. Early nutrition and immunity - progress and perspectives. Br J Nutr. 2006;96(4):774-90.
10. Animals. CftUotGftCaUoL. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals : Eighth Edition: National Academies Press; 2010.
11. Lucion AB, Bortolini MC. Mother-pup interactions: rodents and humans. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2014;5:17.
12. Logan DW, Brunet LJ, Webb WR, Cutforth T, Ngai J, Stowers L. Learned recognition of maternal signature odors mediates the first suckling episode in mice. Curr Biol. 2012;22(21):1998-2007.
13. Weininger O. Mortality of albino rats under stress as a function of early handling. Can J Psychol. 1953;7(3):111-4.
14. Vetulani J. Early maternal separation: a rodent model of depression and a prevailing human condition. Pharmacol Rep. 2013;65(6):1451-61.

Previous article in this issue

Next article in this issue

Journal of Biological Methods, Electronic ISSN: 2326-9901 Print ISSN: TAB, Published by POL Scientific

Publisher's Core Philosophy

We are committed to support the scientific community by publishing impactful research and enhancing communication among scientists. At POL Scientific, we are continuously looking for ways to accelerate scientific progress and to strive for transparency and open communication, making knowledge freely accessible without barrier.

171 Skyview St. San Francisco, CA 94131 U.S.A.

info@polscientific.com