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Commonly used breeds of laboratory rabbits and their research applications.

Commonly used breeds of laboratory rabbits and their research applications.

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Rabbit, a member of the Lagomorpha order, is the closest phylogenetic relative to humans, next to primates. It possesses greater acceptability as a laboratory mammal than primates in terms of husbandry, breeding ease, cost effectiveness, and legal ethical conveniences. Moreover, as a laboratory animal, the rabbit also owns its advantages over mice...

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... NZW (albino) is the most widely used breed in laboratories. The major advantageous feature of this breed is the ease of location of surface veins and arteries (especially in the ear) for blood collection [20,21] (Table 2). ...

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... *P < 0.05 vs. Term age-matched. One-way ANOVA in preterm rabbits has been proposed to be the equivalent age at which BPD diagnosis is made in premature babies (i.e., 36 weeks post-menstrual age) [50]. Taking the seven-day hyperoxia model as a starting point, we implemented an oxygen-weaning protocol that, unfortunately, yielded a low survival at PND14 (< 20%) in pilot experiments, confirming the toxic effect and irreversible damage of 95% O 2 exposure in the first week of life. ...
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Background Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung condition of premature neonates, yet without an established pharmacological treatment. The BPD rabbit model exposed to 95% oxygen has been used in recent years for drug testing. However, the toxicity of the strong hyperoxic hit precludes a longer-term follow-up due to high mortality after the first week of life. This study aimed to extend the preterm rabbit model to postnatal day (PND) 14 to mimic the evolving phase of BPD and enable the investigation of therapeutic interventions at later and more relevant time points. Methods Preterm rabbit pups delivered on the 28th day of gestation were either exposed to room air or different degrees of hyperoxia (50% and 70% O2) for 14 days. Single (immediately after birth) or double (at birth and at PND5) intratracheal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administrations were also tested in combination with 50% O2. Age-matched rabbits delivered vaginally at term were used as controls. Survival, weight gain, lung function, pulmonary artery micro-ultrasound Doppler analysis, lung histology (alveolarization, lung injury score, and design-based stereology), and longitudinal micro-CT imaging were used to compare the outcomes at PND14. Results Premature birth itself, without any other BPD hit, was associated with lung function deficits, delayed lung development, and cardiovascular abnormalities. The BPD-like lung phenotype was enhanced by 70% O2 but not by 50% O2 hyperoxia. Intratracheal LPS delivered immediately after birth was associated with significantly higher lung injury scores at PND14 and increased tissue damping, a marker of parenchymal air resistance. Conclusion Several strategies are feasible to extend the preterm rabbit model of BPD to PND14. Preterm birth at the saccular phase itself, even in the absence of other postnatal BPD hits, was associated with lung function deficits, delayed lung development, and cardiovascular abnormalities compared with age-matched term rabbit pups. Enhanced BPD-like phenotypes can be further achieved by continued exposure to moderate hyperoxia (70% O2) and the intratracheal administration of LPS.
... In fact, it is known that the behavioural repertoire of rabbits towards humans may be influenced by the sex of the subjects during adulthood because of sexual hormones [50]. The rabbits in our study were far from adulthood and sexual maturity, both of which are considered to begin when the subjects are 1 year old [51]. This condition may easily explain why no difference was observed between males and females during our study. ...
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Rabbits are subjected to challenges that induce stress and require them to continuously adapt. Veterinary procedures represent an important source of stress. In other pets, pheromone use was shown to help patients better cope with these procedures. This study aimed to evaluate whether continuous exposure to the rabbit appeasing pheromone (RAP) could help rabbits cope with the stress induced by routine clinical consultations and vaccinations. Twenty-four 5-week-old rabbits were housed in two identical rooms for 43 days, one in which the rabbits underwent continuous RAP treatment and one with the placebo. The rabbits were vaccinated 8 days afterwards, and their behaviour was evaluated using visual analogic scales (VASs) and videos. The rabbits were also examined seven times, on a weekly basis, using VASs to assess their behaviour. The video analysis showed that the RAP-treated rabbits were less inhibited (p = 0.03) and more in contact with the surgeon (p = 0.039) during vaccinations, while the non-treated rabbits kept their ears in the middle/flattened position (p = 0.003). The RAP-treated rabbits were also less agitated (VAS analysis, p = 0.02). During the consultations, a treatment × day effect was observed in favour of the RAP group for the rabbit state and rabbit reactivity VAS analysis (p < 0.0001). These findings seem to suggest that continuous RAP exposure could be a promising tool for helping rabbits cope with veterinary procedures.
... Lack of NO has also been linked to increased arterial stiffness (Boerma et al., 2015Patel et al., 2020), which is observed through increased collagen and smooth muscle content paired with decreased elastin and degradation of the ECM (Zieman et al., 2005). (2013) for rats, in Dutta and Sengupta (2018) for rabbits, and in Lester (2021) for mice. Not all of these doses support each KER; details can be found in the AOP-Wiki. ...
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Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are complex, encompassing many types of heart pathophysiologies and associated etiologies. It has been shown that fractionated radiation exposure at high doses (3-17 Gy) to the heart increases the incidence of CVD, as evident from radiotherapy studies. However, the effects of low doses of radiation on the cardiovascular system or the effects from space travel, where radiation and microgravity are important contributors to damage, are not clearly understood. Herein, the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework was applied to develop an AOP to abnormal vascular remodeling from the deposition of energy. Following the creation of a preliminary pathway with the guidance of field experts and authoritative reviews, a scoping review was conducted which informed final key event (KE) selection and facilitated evaluation Bradford Hill criteria of the key event relationships (KERs). The AOP begins with a molecular initiating event of deposition of energy; ionization events increase oxidative stress, which when persistent concurrently causes the release of pro-inflammatory mediators, suppresses anti-inflammatory mechanisms and alters stress response signaling pathways. These KEs alter nitric oxide levels leading to endothelial dysfunction and subsequent abnormal vascular remodeling (the adverse outcome). The work identifies evidence needed to strengthen understanding of the causal associations for the KERs, emphasizing where there are knowledge gaps and uncertainties in both qualitative and quantitative understanding. The AOP is anticipated to direct future research to better understand the effects of space on the human body and potentially develop countermeasures to better protect future space travelers.
... Studies were broken down by animal life stage, taxonomy, and the dose of radiation used. Animal life stage was defined in Sengupta (2013) for rats, in Dutta and Sengupta (2018) for rabbits, and in Flurkey (2007) for mice. Not all of these doses support each KER, details can be found in the AOP-Wiki. ...
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The understanding of radiation-induced non-cancer effects on the central nervous system (CNS) is essential for the medical setting (e.g., radiotherapy), and occupational exposures, such as nuclear workers or astronauts. Herein, the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) approach was used to consolidate relevant studies in the area of cognitive decline for identification of research gaps, countermeasure development, and for eventual use in risk assessments. AOPs are an analytical construct describing critical events to an adverse outcome (AO) in a simplified form beginning with a molecular initiating event (MIE). An AOP was constructed utilizing mechanistic information to build empirical support for the key event relationships (KERs) between the MIE of deposition of energy to the AO of learning and memory impairment through multiple key events (KEs). The evidence for the AOP was acquired through a documented scoping review of the literature. In this AOP, the MIE is connected to the AO via six KEs of increased oxidative stress, increased deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strand breaks, altered stress response signaling, tissue resident cell activation, increased pro-inflammatory mediators and abnormal neural remodeling that encompasses atypical structural and functional alterations of neural cells and surrounding environment. Deposition of energy directly leads to oxidative stress, increased DNA strand breaks, an increase of pro-inflammatory mediators and tissue resident cell activation. These KEs, which are themselves interconnected, can lead to abnormal neural remodeling impacting learning and memory processes. Identified knowledge gaps include improving quantitative understanding of the AOP across several KERs and additional testing of proposed modulating factors through experimental work. Broadly, it is envisioned that the outcome of these efforts could be extended to other cognitive disorders and complement ongoing work by international radiation governing bodies in their review of the system of radiological protection.
... The study clearly indicated that there is no significant difference in the average kit weight at kindling across the treatments. In rabbits, individual birth weight is about 60-70grams, but can range from 30-40g to 80-90g (Di Meo et al., 2004;Dutta et al., 2018) The present study showed that average kit weight at kindling decreases with increase in litter size. This was also confirmed by Ajayi et al. (2018) and Oseni & Bashiru (2022). ...
Article
The efficacy of selected of Janova® and Exapar® on the reproductive performance of rabbit does was investigated. Forty rabbit does mixed breeds (1.8-2.4 kg body weight) with 0-2 parities were randomized into four treatments (T1-T4) of ten does each, in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). T1 animals received no herbal supplementation (control); T2 animals were drenched with 0.67 g Janova®/kg body weight (kg/BW); T3 animals were drenched with 0.2 g/kg/BW Exapar®, while the T4 animals were drenched 0.67 g/kg/BW of Janova® + 0.2 g/kg/BW of Exapar®. Data on kindling rate (KR), gestation length (GL), litter size (LSK) and litter weight at kindling (LWK), average kit weight at kindling (AKWK), and sex ratio (SR) were collected. The data collected were statistically analysed using One-way ANOVA of SAS® software, the significant level for the group comparisons was set at p<0.05. Results from the experiment revealed that T1 does had the highest KR of 44%, followed by T2 and T3 does with 33.3% each, while the does in T4 had the least KR of 25%. The GL obtained in the T1 (33.25 ± 0.63d) was significantly higher (p<0.05) than the values obtained in treatments T2, T3 and T4 does with mean GL of 31.33 ± 0.33d, 31.33 ± 0.33d and 30.50 ± 0.50d, respectively. Polyherbal products (Janova® and Exapar®) brought about shortened gestation length in the does supplemented as compared to the control group.
... 2 Rabbits were one of the earliest animals used for medical experiments, so they have a unique role in research in the medical sciences. 3 Diarrhea, bloat, scours, mucoid enteritis, enterotoxaemia, gut stasis, wool-block, trichobezoars, infectious and non-infectious enteritis, gastro-enteropathy, and mucoid enteropathy are among the variety of non-specific terms used to describe the diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. There is a complex re-lationship between predisposing factors and the causes of gastrointestinal diseases. ...
Chapter
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses. Coronaviruses cause various kinds of diseases in animals. In rabbits, gastrointestinal diseases are common, and they cause significant economic loss. Coronaviral infections in rabbits have two prominent clinical representations: (1) enteritis and (2) systemic disease. Rabbit enteric coronavirus was isolated for the first time in 1980 from 6-10-week-old rabbits suffering from enteritis. Prominent clinical signs of the infection in rabbits include watery diarrhea, abdominal distention, anorexia, and sudden death. The presence of viral particles in the feces of rabbits with diarrhea, as well as typical lesions on necropsy and histologic assessment of the gastrointestinal system, may be helpful in the diagnosis. Individual animal treatment comprises isolation from unaffected rabbits and supportive therapy.
... Physiological active glucocorticoid is known as cortisol in humans and corticosterone in rats [13,14]. Studies show that elevated cortisol levels during pregnancy enhance the inhibition of insulin activity, leading to decreased insulin sensitivity and increased insulin resistance in skeletal muscle by reducing glucose utilisation [97,98]. Studies show that patients and animals with poorly controlled or uncontrolled diabetes commonly have both elevated basal ACTH and high levels of GCs due to the altered regulation of the HPA axis [99,100]. ...
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Maternal type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been shown to result in foetal programming of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to adverse foetal outcomes. T2DM is preceded by prediabetes and shares similar pathophysiological complications. However, no studies have investigated the effects of maternal prediabetes on foetal HPA axis function and postnatal offspring development. Hence, this study investigated the effects of pregestational prediabetes on maternal HPA axis function and postnatal offspring development. Pre-diabetic (PD) and non-pre-diabetic (NPD) female Sprague Dawley rats were mated with non-prediabetic males. After gestation, male pups born from the PD and NPD groups were collected. Markers of HPA axis function, adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone, were measured in all dams and pups. Glucose tolerance, insulin and gene expressions of mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors were further measured in all pups at birth and their developmental milestones. The results demonstrated increased basal concentrations of ACTH and corticosterone in the dams from the PD group by comparison to NPD. Furthermore, the results show an increase basal ACTH and corticosterone concentrations, disturbed MR and GR gene expression, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance assessed via the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) indices in the pups born from the PD group compared to NPD group at all developmental milestones. These observations reveal that pregestational prediabetes is associated with maternal dysregulation of the HPA axis, impacting offspring HPA axis development along with impaired glucose handling.
... Approval was obtained from the Animal Experiments Local Ethics Committee of Fırat University (dated 26 November 2021 and numbered 5271) for the study. The rabbits were grouped by age based on the literature available (Dutta & Sengupta, 2018). The rabbits (Dutta & Sengupta, 2018) were grouped in the prepubertal period [group I (0-1 month)], the period between adolescence and adulthood [group II (3-5 month)] and later (young adult period as group III ...
... The rabbits were grouped by age based on the literature available (Dutta & Sengupta, 2018). The rabbits (Dutta & Sengupta, 2018) were grouped in the prepubertal period [group I (0-1 month)], the period between adolescence and adulthood [group II (3-5 month)] and later (young adult period as group III ...
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This study aimed to determine the morphometric measurements anatomically and CT images of skulls of healthy male and female rabbits during postnatal development, to analyse the data statistically and to demonstrate the structural changes in bone. A total of 40 rabbits (20 females and 20 males) were divided into four groups including prepubertal period (group I (0–1 month)), period between adolescence and adulthood (group II (3-5 month)) and later (young adult period as group III (1–3 years) and old adult period as group IV (3–5 years)), with five animals in each group. After the morphometric measurements, the surface area and volume values of the skull were calculated. The skulls were reconstructed using a 3D Slicer (5.0.2), which is used for 3D modelling. The cranial bones in each group were then crushed using a grinder so that the powdered samples were obtained for XRF (X-ray fluorescence technique). The p-value was statistically highly significant between group and gender (p< 0.001). In morphometric measurements, males were generally higher than females. Only PL, GBOC and GNB measurements were higher in females. The p-value between groups (in all measurements), between genders (in TL, GLN, FL, VL, OZB and GBN parameters) and between groups and genders (in TL, DL and VL parameters) was statistically highly significant (p< 0.001). The p-value between the groups, p-value between sexes and p-value between group and sex in Si, P, K, Ca, Ni, Zn, Sr, Sr and Ca/P elements were statistically significant (p< 0.001). Consequently, metric, volume and surface area measurements were taken through 3D modelling of skull bone in prepubertal period (group I), period between adolescence and adulthood (group II) and later (young adult period as group III and old adult period as group IV) of rabbits and the change in the mineral structure during postnatal development and effect of sex on this change were investigated. This might be the first study to assess both metric and mineral changes at four age intervals taken during the life span of rabbits
... Age was classified into maturity categories based on the life stages of rabbits. Rabbits younger than six months were defined as "young" as most rabbits reach sexual maturity by six months of age [19]. Rabbits between six months and one year old were defined as "adolescent" as marked behavioral changes are associated with reproductive changes at this stage [19]. ...
... Rabbits younger than six months were defined as "young" as most rabbits reach sexual maturity by six months of age [19]. Rabbits between six months and one year old were defined as "adolescent" as marked behavioral changes are associated with reproductive changes at this stage [19]. Rabbits between one and five years old were defined as "adult", and those older than five years were defined as "senior". ...
... A plausible explanation is that owners might release unwanted rabbits outside post-Easter, leading humane officers to intervene and collect these animals. It is important to note that adolescent rabbits exhibit undesirable behavioral changes, such as spraying, aggression, and territorial behaviours [19]. Such behaviours might drive owners to abandon these animals, especially if they had made impulsive decisions to purchase or adopt without adequate knowledge about rabbit care. ...
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Domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are the fourth most common species admitted to the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) shelter system. However, shelter data analysis has largely focused on cats and dogs and little is known about the population dynamics of rabbits in shelters. We analyzed five years of rabbit records (n = 1567) at the BC SPCA to identify trends in intake and predictors of length of stay (LOS) of rabbits. The majority of rabbits were surrendered by their owners (40.2%), with most rabbits being surrendered for human-related reasons (96.9%). Overall, rabbit intakes decreased over the study period. When analyzing by month of intake, rabbit intakes were found to be the highest in May. Most rabbits in our data were adults (46.7%), non-brachycephalic (66.7%), erect-eared (82.5%), short-furred (76.2%), and subsequently adopted (80.3%). The median LOS of rabbits was 29 days, highlighting the pressing need to improve their time to adoption. A linear model was constructed to identify predictors of LOS of adopted rabbits (n = 1203) and revealed that intake year, intake month, source of intake, age, cephalic type, and breed size significantly predicted time to adoption for rabbits (F(37, 1165) = 7.95, p < 2.2e-16, adjusted R² = 0.18). These findings help characterize shelter population dynamics for rabbits, shed light on the challenges associated with unwanted rabbits, and offer a foundation for animal shelters to design programs and marketing strategies tailored to reduce LOS of rabbits with particular characteristics. Shelter rabbits represent an understudied population and our study highlights the importance of further research in companion rabbits.
... These include the neonatal, infantile, juvenile, peripubertal, late pubertal and emerging adulthood which are recognized at week 3, 6 and 16 in our 4 study respectively. These stages have been shown to roughly correspond to similar developmental stages in humans [79][80][81][82][83][84]. Table 1 provides a concise overview of the developmental phases in humans and rats, allowing for a comparison of their respective ages. ...
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Maternal type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been shown to result in fetal programming of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to adverse fetal outcomes. T2DM is preceded by prediabetes and shares similar pathophysiological complications. However, no studies have investigated the effects of maternal prediabetes on fetal HPA axis function and postnatal offspring development, hence this study. Pre-diabetic (PD) and non-pre-diabetic (NPD) female Sprague Dawley rats were mated with non-prediabetic males. After gestation, male pups born from the PD and NPD groups were collected. Markers of HPA axis function, adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone were measured in all dams and pups. Glucose tolerance and expression of mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors were further measured in all pups at birth and their developmental milestones. The results demonstrated increased basal concentrations of ACTH and corticosterone in the dams from the PD group by comparison to NPD. Furthermore, the results show an increase in pups ACTH and corticosterone concentrations, impaired glucose tolerance and dysregulated MR and GR expression in the PD group at all developmental milestones. These observations reveal that pregestational prediabetes is associated with maternal dysregulation of the HPA axis, impacting offspring HPA axis development along with impaired glucose handling.