Severity assessment in mice subjected to carbon tetrachloride

• Published in: Scientific reports 2020-09, Vol.10 (1), p.15790, Article 15790
• Main Authors: Ernst, Lisa, Zieglowski, Leonie, Schulz, Mareike, Moss, Michaela, Meyer, Marco, Weiskirchen, Ralf, Palme, Rupert, Hamann, Melanie, Talbot, Steven R., Tolba, René H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/601; 692/308; 692/4020; Animals; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Carbon Tetrachloride - administration & dosage; Carbon Tetrachloride - toxicity; Disease Models, Animal; Humanities and Social Sciences; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Liver Cirrhosis - chemically induced; Liver Cirrhosis - pathology; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; multidisciplinary; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Severity of Illness Index
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72801-1

The Directive 2010/63 EU requires classifying burden and severity in all procedures using laboratory animals. This study evaluated the severity of liver fibrosis induction by intraperitoneal carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) injections in mice. 29 male C57BL/6N mice were treated three times per week for 4 weeks with an intraperitoneal injection (50 µl) of either 0.6 ml/kg body weight CCl 4 -vehicle solution, germ oil (vehicle-control) or handling only. Severity assessment was performed using serum analysis, behavioral tests (open field test, rotarod, burrowing and nesting behavior), fecal corticosterone metabolite (FCM) measurement, and survival. The most significant group differences were noticed in the second week of treatment when the highest AST (1463 ± 1404 vs. 123.8 ± 93 U/L, p