Alternative non-oral nutrition in a rat model: a novel modified gastrostomy technique

• Published in: Experimental Animals 2022, Vol.71(1), pp.36-45
• Main Authors: Kim, In Gul, Cho, Hana, Choi, Jun Jae, Shin, Jung-Woog, Chung, Eun-Jae
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Body weight loss; Catheters; Damage prevention; esophageal reconstruction; Esophagus; Feasibility studies; Fibrosis; Food; Food supply; gastrostomy; Heparin; Macrophages; Medical instruments; Nutrients; Nutrition; Original; Ostomy; rat model; Rodents; Self-injury; Silicone resins; Silicones; Tubes; upper digestive tract cancer; Weight loss
• ISSN: 1341-1357; 1881-7122
• DOI: 10.1538/expanim.20-0192

The gastrostomy technique is essential for esophageal reconstruction using a scaffold. To date, there are no established methods to supply nutrients through a gastrostomy tube in rats. The purpose of this study was to analyze the feasibility of a newly modified gastrostomy technique for non-oral nutrition in an adult rat model. We modified the gastrostomy technique for adult rats in a few different ways. (1) The external opening for food injection was made at the midpoint between the ears to prevent damage due to self-harm behaviour. (2) An imbedded subcutaneous tunnel was created between the internal and external openings of the gastrostomy. We compared the efficacy and safety between groups with a T-tube for biliary drainage (TT group, n=14) and a conventional silicone Foley catheter (FC group, n=7) as optimal gastrostomy tubes for in a rat model. We also evaluated the feasibility of the heparin cap connector at the end of gastrostomy tube to control food supply in the TT group (with a cap, n=7; without a cap, n=7). No mortality was observed in the TT group with a cap, whereas most rats in the FC group died within 2 weeks after the procedure. Weight loss decreased significantly in the TT group with a cap compared with all the other groups. The appearance and attitude scores were significantly better in the TT group with a cap. In addition, histologic analysis showed that the TT group a cap showed a marked decrease over time in tissue fibrosis and macrophages compared with the other experimental groups. Therefore, gastrostomy using a silicone T-tube plugged with a cap proved to be a stable and effective option for non-oral feeding in an adult rat model.