A simple method for short-term maintenance of neonatal mice without foster mothers
Main Article Content
Keywords
neonate, rodent, baby mice, maintenance, foster mother
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.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Metrics
Metrics Loading ...
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.
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.
Article Sidebar
Published
Feb 17, 2020
Article Details
How to Cite
1.
Kreikemeier-Bower C, Polepole P, Pinkerton K, Zhang L. A simple method for short-term maintenance of neonatal mice without foster mothers. J Biol Methods [Internet]. 2020 Feb. 17 [cited 2024 Apr. 20];7(1):e126. Available from: https://jbmethods.org/index.php/jbm/article/view/315
Issue
Section
Protocols
Authors who publish with JBM agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant JBM right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
