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The effects of repeated oral gavage on the health of male CD-1 mice

Lab Animal volume 41, pages 129–134 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Oral gavage is a widely used method for administering substances to animals in pharmacological and toxicological studies. The authors evaluated whether oral gavage causes behavioral indicators of stress, increased mortality rate, alterations in food and water consumption and body weight or histological lesions in CD-1 mice. Gavage was carried out once per d for 5 d per week over 6 consecutive weeks. The mortality rate of mice in this study was 15%. Mice subjected to gavage did not undergo changes in food or water consumption during the study, and their mean body weights and relative organ weights were similar to those of mice in the control group. Serum cortisol levels at the time of euthanasia in mice in both groups were within the normal range. Histopathology showed acute esophagitis and pleurisy, indicative of perforation of the esophagus, in the two mice that died but no abnormalities in the other mice. The results suggest that animal stress and mortality related to oral gavage can be minimized when the procedure is carried out by an experienced technician.

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Figure 1: Mean body weight of control mice and of mice that received oral gavage for 6 weeks.
Figure 2: Histological lesions observed in two mice that died after receiving oral gavage.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Mrs. Lígia Lourenço for her technical assistance. We thank Professor Jorge Colaço for his contribution to the statistical analyses. This study was supported by an aid grant from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Ministério da Ciência e Ensino Superior, Portugal (grant number SFRH/BD/47612/2008) and was financed by FCT Pest-OE/AGR/UI0772/2011 unity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Sciences, CECAV, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

    Regina Arantes-Rodrigues,  Andreia Henriques,  Ana Faustino-Rocha,  Jacinta Pinho-Oliveira,  Catarina Teixeira-Guedes,  Fernanda Seixas,  Adelina Gama,  Aura Colaço &  Paula A. Oliveira

  2. Genetic Service, Cytogenetic Laboratory, Hospital Center of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

    Rosário Pinto-Leite

  3. Zootecnia Department, CECAV, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

    Bruno Colaço

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  1. Regina Arantes-Rodrigues
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Correspondence to Regina Arantes-Rodrigues.

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Arantes-Rodrigues, R., Henriques, A., Pinto-Leite, R. et al. The effects of repeated oral gavage on the health of male CD-1 mice. Lab Anim 41, 129–134 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0512-129

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