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NONINVASIVE, CONTINUOUS MEASUREMENT OF RAT TAIL SKIN TEMPERATURE BY RADIOTELEMETRY.
Citation:
Gordon, C J., E T. Puckett, AND B Padnos. NONINVASIVE, CONTINUOUS MEASUREMENT OF RAT TAIL SKIN TEMPERATURE BY RADIOTELEMETRY. Presented at Experimental Biology, Orlando, FL, 3/30/2001-4/3/2001.
Description:
Tail skin temperature (Tsk) can provide a wealth of information on the thermoregulatory status of the rat. Drug- and toxic-induced changes in body temperature are often mediated by vasodilation or constriction of blood flow to the tail and Tsk can generally be used as an indicator of the vasomotor state of the tail. However, most studies on Tsk of the rat have been made in restrained or tethered animals; these procedures are stressful and alter the vasomotor tone of the tail. Other than surgical implantation of probes under the skin of the tail or infrared thermography, there is no method to measure Tsk noninvasively in undisturbed rats. We have developed an inexpensive collar that holds a radio telemetric transmitter (Data Sciences Int., St. Paul, MN; model TA10-F20) against the surface of the rat's tail. The collar, milled from Plexiglas, is ~2.5 cm long and ~1.5 cm in diameter and weighs 12 g. The collar fits around the base of the tail and is held in place with few drops of cyanoacrylic glue. The glue is sufficient to hold the device on the tail for several days. The rats are able to freely move about their cage with the collar attached. The collar is easily removed from the tail with firm pressure. The device provides continuous measurement of Tsk. Mean Tsk of the rat is 28 to 30 C when housed in a standard cage with wood shavings at an ambient temperature of 23 C. Marked reductions in Tsk are seen when the rats are made febrile by administration of LPS (50 ug/kg; IP) or when subjected to open field stress. This new method may be useful for providing more physiologically meaningful measurements of Tsk in the unrestrained and undisturbed rat. This abstract does not necessarily reflect US EPA policy.