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Aulehner K, Leenaars C, Buchecker V, Stirling H, Schönhoff K, King H, Häger C, Koska I, Jirkof P, Bleich A, Bankstahl M, Potschka H. Grimace scale, burrowing, and nest building for the assessment of post-surgical pain in mice and rats-A systematic review. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:930005. [PMID: 36277074 PMCID: PMC9583882 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.930005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies suggested an informative value of behavioral and grimace scale parameters for the detection of pain. However, the robustness and reliability of the parameters as well as the current extent of implementation are still largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to systematically analyze the current evidence-base of grimace scale, burrowing, and nest building for the assessment of post-surgical pain in mice and rats. The following platforms were searched for relevant articles: PubMed, Embase via Ovid, and Web of Science. Only full peer-reviewed studies that describe the grimace scale, burrowing, and/or nest building as pain parameters in the post-surgical phase in mice and/or rats were included. Information about the study design, animal characteristics, intervention characteristics, and outcome measures was extracted from identified publications. In total, 74 papers were included in this review. The majority of studies have been conducted in young adult C57BL/6J mice and Sprague Dawley and Wistar rats. While there is an apparent lack of information about young animals, some studies that analyzed the grimace scale in aged rats were identified. The majority of studies focused on laparotomy-associated pain. Only limited information is available about other types of surgical interventions. While an impact of surgery and an influence of analgesia were rather consistently reported in studies focusing on grimace scales, the number of studies that assessed respective effects was rather low for nest building and burrowing. Moreover, controversial findings were evident for the impact of analgesics on post-surgical nest building activity. Regarding analgesia, a monotherapeutic approach was identified in the vast majority of studies with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs and opioids being most commonly used. In conclusion, most evidence exists for grimace scales, which were more frequently used to assess post-surgical pain in rodents than the other behavioral parameters. However, our findings also point to relevant knowledge gaps concerning the post-surgical application in different strains, age levels, and following different surgical procedures. Future efforts are also necessary to directly compare the sensitivity and robustness of different readout parameters applied for the assessment of nest building and burrowing activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Aulehner
- Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Cathalijn Leenaars
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Verena Buchecker
- Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Helen Stirling
- Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Katharina Schönhoff
- Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Hannah King
- Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Christine Häger
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Ines Koska
- Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Paulin Jirkof
- Office for Animal Welfare and 3Rs, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - André Bleich
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Marion Bankstahl
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Heidrun Potschka
- Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany,*Correspondence: Heidrun Potschka
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Huang T, Li Y, Hu W, Yu D, Gao J, Yang F, Xu Y, Wang Z, Zong L. Dexmedetomidine attenuates haemorrhage-induced thalamic pain by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB/ERK1/2 pathway in mice. Inflammopharmacology 2021; 29:1751-1760. [PMID: 34643849 PMCID: PMC8643300 DOI: 10.1007/s10787-021-00877-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thalamic pain, a neuropathic pain syndrome, frequently occurs after stroke. This research aimed to investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on thalamic pain. METHODS The cellular localization of the TLR4 protein was determined by immunostaining. The expression of Iba1, GFAP and protein associated with the TLR4/NF-κB/ERK1/2 pathway was measured by Western blotting. Continuous pain hypersensitivity was evaluated by behavioural tests. The results were analysed by one-way ANOVA, two-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test. RESULTS The results demonstrated that DEX obviously alleviated thalamic pain induced by haemorrhage on the ipsilateral side and delayed the development of pain hypersensitivity. Furthermore, the expression levels of Iba1, GFAP and proteins associated with the TLR4/NF-κB/ERK1/2 signalling pathway were greatly increased in mice with thalamic pain, but these effects were reversed by DEX. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that DEX alleviates the inflammatory response during thalamic pain through the TLR4/NF-κB/ERK1/2 signalling pathway and might be a potential therapeutic agent for thalamic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianfeng Huang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated with Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Yong Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated with Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenqing Hu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Changzhi People's Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Changzhi Medical College, Shanxi, No. 502 Changxing Middle Road, Luzhou District, Changzhi, 046000, People's Republic of China
| | - Dapeng Yu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated with Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Ju Gao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated with Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Fan Yang
- Department of Central Laboratory, Changzhi People's Hospital, Shanxi, The Affiliated Hospital of Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yingying Xu
- Department of General Surgery, Yizheng People's Hospital, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, No. 61 Dongyuan South Road, Yangzhou, 211400, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zehua Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Heji Hospital Affiliated To Changzhi Medical College, No. 271 Taihang East Road, Changzhi, 046000, Shanxi, People's Republic of China.
| | - Liang Zong
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Changzhi People's Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Changzhi Medical College, Shanxi, No. 502 Changxing Middle Road, Luzhou District, Changzhi, 046000, People's Republic of China. .,Department of Central Laboratory, Changzhi People's Hospital, Shanxi, The Affiliated Hospital of Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, People's Republic of China.
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Automated home-cage monitoring as a potential measure of sickness behaviors and pain-like behaviors in LPS-treated mice. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256706. [PMID: 34449819 PMCID: PMC8396795 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of endotoxin, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a model of sickness behavior, has attracted recent attention. To objectively investigate sickness behavior along with its pain-like behaviors in LPS-treated mice, the behavioral measurement requires accurate methods, which reflects clinical relevance. While reflexive pain response tests have been used for decades for pain assessment, its accuracy and clinical relevance remain problematic. Hence, we used automated home-cage monitoring LABORAS to evaluate spontaneous locomotive behaviors in LPS-induced mice. LPS-treated mice displayed sickness behaviors including pain-like behaviors in automated home-cage monitoring characterized by decreased mobile behaviors (climbing, locomotion, rearing) and increased immobility compared to that of the control group in both short- and long-term locomotive assessments. Here, in short-term measurement, both in the open-field test and automated home-cage monitoring, mice demonstrated impaired locomotive behaviors. We also assessed 24 h long-term locomotor activity in the home-cage system, which profiled the diurnal behaviors of LPS-stimulated mice. The results demonstrated significant behavioral impairment in LPS-stimulated mice compared to the control mice in both light and dark phases. However, the difference is more evident in the dark phase compared to the light phase owing to the nocturnal activity of mice. In addition, the administration of indomethacin as a pharmacological intervention improved sickness behaviors in the open-field test as well as automated home-cage monitoring, confirming that automated home-cage monitoring could be potentially useful in pharmacological screening. Together, our results demonstrate that automated home-cage monitoring could be a feasible alternative to conventional methods, such as the open-field test and combining several behavioral assessments may provide a better understanding of sickness behavior and pain-like behaviors in LPS-treated mice.
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Araya EI, Barroso AR, Turnes JDM, Radulski DR, Jaganaught JRA, Zampronio AR, Chichorro JG. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling in the trigeminal ganglion mediates facial mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in rats. Physiol Behav 2020; 226:113127. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Grimace Scores: Tools to Support the Identification of Pain in Mammals Used in Research. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10101726. [PMID: 32977561 PMCID: PMC7598254 DOI: 10.3390/ani10101726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The 3Rs, Replacement, Reduction and Refinement, is a framework to ensure the ethical and justified use of animals in research. The implementation of refinements is required to alleviate and minimise the pain and suffering of animals in research. Public acceptability of animal use in research is contingent on satisfying ethical and legal obligations to provide pain relief along with humane endpoints. To fulfil this obligation, staff, researchers, veterinarians, and technicians must rapidly, accurately, efficiently and consistently identify, assess and act on signs of pain. This ability is paramount to uphold animal welfare, prevent undue suffering and mitigate possible negative impacts on research. Identification of pain may be based on indicators such as physiological, behavioural, or physical ones. Each has been used to develop different pain scoring systems with potential benefits and limitations in identifying and assessing pain. Grimace scores are a promising adjunctive behavioural technique in some mammalian species to identify and assess pain in research animals. The use of this method can be beneficial to animal welfare and research outcomes by identifying animals that may require alleviation of pain or humane intervention. This paper highlights the benefits, caveats, and potential applications of grimace scales.
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Mogil JS, Pang DSJ, Silva Dutra GG, Chambers CT. The development and use of facial grimace scales for pain measurement in animals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 116:480-493. [PMID: 32682741 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The measurement of pain in animals is surprisingly complex, and remains a critical issue in veterinary care and biomedical research. Based on the known utility of pain measurement via facial expression in verbal and especially non-verbal human populations, "grimace scales" were first developed a decade ago for use in rodents and now exist for 10 different mammalian species. This review details the background context, historical development, features (including duration), psychometric properties, modulatory factors, and impact of animal grimace scales for pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Mogil
- Depts. of Psychology and Anesthesia, Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Daniel S J Pang
- Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Services, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Gabrielle Guanaes Silva Dutra
- Depts. of Psychology and Anesthesia, Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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González-Cano R, Montilla-García Á, Ruiz-Cantero MC, Bravo-Caparrós I, Tejada MÁ, Nieto FR, Cobos EJ. The search for translational pain outcomes to refine analgesic development: Where did we come from and where are we going? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 113:238-261. [PMID: 32147529 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Pain measures traditionally used in rodents record mere reflexes evoked by sensory stimuli; the results thus may not fully reflect the human pain phenotype. Alterations in physical and emotional functioning, pain-depressed behaviors and facial pain expressions were recently proposed as additional pain outcomes to provide a more accurate measure of clinical pain in rodents, and hence to potentially enhance analgesic drug development. We aimed to review how preclinical pain assessment has evolved since the development of the tail flick test in 1941, with a particular focus on a critical analysis of some nonstandard pain outcomes, and a consideration of how sex differences may affect the performance of these pain surrogates. We tracked original research articles in Medline for the following periods: 1973-1977, 1983-1987, 1993-1997, 2003-2007, and 2014-2018. We identified 606 research articles about alternative surrogate pain measures, 473 of which were published between 2014 and 2018. This indicates that preclinical pain assessment is moving toward the use of these measures, which may soon become standard procedures in preclinical pain laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael González-Cano
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Institute of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada, Armilla, Granada, Spain.
| | - Ángeles Montilla-García
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Institute of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada, Armilla, Granada, Spain.
| | - M Carmen Ruiz-Cantero
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Institute of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada, Armilla, Granada, Spain.
| | - Inmaculada Bravo-Caparrós
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Institute of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada, Armilla, Granada, Spain.
| | - Miguel Á Tejada
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Institute of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada, Armilla, Granada, Spain; IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Francisco R Nieto
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Institute of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada, Armilla, Granada, Spain.
| | - Enrique J Cobos
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Institute of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada, Armilla, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Granada, Spain; Teófilo Hernando Institute for Drug Discovery, Madrid, Spain.
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Wang TT, Xu XY, Lin W, Hu DD, Shi W, Jia X, Wang H, Song NJ, Zhang YQ, Zhang L. Activation of Different Heterodimers of TLR2 Distinctly Mediates Pain and Itch. Neuroscience 2020; 429:245-255. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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George RP, Howarth GS, Whittaker AL. Use of the Rat Grimace Scale to Evaluate Visceral Pain in a Model of Chemotherapy-Induced Mucositis. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9090678. [PMID: 31547463 PMCID: PMC6769932 DOI: 10.3390/ani9090678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Mucositis is a painful and often debilitating condition associated with cancer treatment. Management of associated symptoms is an important clinical consideration. Animal models are used in mucositis research to model the condition in humans in order to develop novel therapeutic agents to relieve symptoms. Previous animal studies have focused on disease severity and outcomes, but often failed to measure pain. The rat grimace scale (RGS) is a validated observational measure used to gauge pain levels experienced by rats. The aim of this study was to assess the rat grimace scale in a rat model of mucositis, and to examine whether changes in clinical signs and anxiety reflected the grimace responses recorded. We also aimed to determine whether the responses were pain-specific by administering potent opioid painkilling agents. In the present study rat grimace scores did not change significantly between treatments. Development of reliable pain assessment methods in animal models is urgently required to improve model relevance to human clinical practice, in addition to safeguarding animal welfare. Abstract The rat grimace scale (RGS) is a measure of spontaneous pain that evaluates pain response. The ability to characterize pain through a non-invasive method has considerable utility for numerous animal models of disease, including mucositis, a painful, self-limiting side-effect of chemotherapy treatment. Preclinical studies investigating novel therapeutics for mucositis often focus on pathological outcomes and disease severity. These investigations fail to measure pain, in spite of reduction of pain being a key clinical therapeutic goal. This study assessed the utility of the RGS for pain assessment in a rat model of mucositis, and whether changes in disease activity index (DAI) and open field test (OFT) reflected the grimace responses recorded. Sixty tumor-bearing female Dark Agouti rats were injected with either saline or 5-Fluourouracil alone, or with co-administration of opioid analgesics. Whilst differences in DAI were observed between treatment groups, no difference in RGS scores or OFT were demonstrated. Significant increases in grimace scores were observed across time. However, whilst a statistically significant change may have been noted, the biological relevance is questionable in terms of practical usage, since an observer is only able to score whole numbers. Development of effective pain assessment methods in animal models is required to improve welfare, satisfy regulatory requirements, and increase translational validity of the model to human patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca P George
- School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, Roseworthy, SA 5371, Australia.
| | - Gordon S Howarth
- School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, Roseworthy, SA 5371, Australia.
- Department of Gastroenterology, Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, SA 5006, Australia.
| | - Alexandra L Whittaker
- School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, Roseworthy, SA 5371, Australia.
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Klune CB, Larkin AE, Leung VSY, Pang D. Comparing the Rat Grimace Scale and a composite behaviour score in rats. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0209467. [PMID: 31150408 PMCID: PMC6544219 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a growing interest in the use of voluntarily displayed ongoing behaviours in laboratory animals to assess the pain experience. In rats, two behavioural pain scales, the Rat Grimace Scale (RGS, a facial expression scale) and a composite behaviour score (CBS, a behavioural ethogram reliant on postural changes), are both promising pain assessment methods. Both scales have been used to assess pain in a laparotomy model, however, they have never been compared directly and the knowledge of how different analgesics may affect these two scales is limited. This study aimed to provide a comparison to discriminate the temporal and analgesic response in a laparotomy model. Female Wistar (n = 26) and Sprague Dawley rats (n = 26) were block randomized to receive saline, meloxicam (2 mg/kg) or buprenorphine (0.05 mg/kg) 30 minutes before laparotomy. Rats were video-recorded before surgery (BL) and at 30, 150, 270, and 390 minutes post-operatively. Videos were assessed according to both scales by a trained, blinded observer. Both CBS and RGS scores increased significantly at all post surgical timepoints in the saline group. Both buprenorphine and meloxicam reduced CBS scores to baseline levels following laparotomy; however, RGS scores were only reduced following buprenorphine. RGS scores in the meloxicam group remained similar to scores of the saline group. These findings suggest that the CBS and RGS differ in their sensitivity to discriminating analgesic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra B. Klune
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Amy E. Larkin
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Vivian S. Y. Leung
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
| | - Daniel Pang
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Jeger V, Hauffe T, Nicholls-Vuille F, Bettex D, Rudiger A. Analgesia in clinically relevant rodent models of sepsis. Lab Anim 2018; 50:418-426. [PMID: 27909191 DOI: 10.1177/0023677216675009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Postoperative analgesia in rodent sepsis models has been considerably neglected in the past. However, intentions to model clinical practice, increasing awareness of animal ethics, efforts to apply the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, refinement), and stricter legislation argue for a change in this respect. In this review, we describe different concepts of analgesia in rodent models of sepsis focusing on opioid agonists as well as non-opioid analgesics. Advantages and pitfalls in study design and side-effects are discussed. Score sheets should be used to adapt analgesia or to terminate experiments using humane endpoints. Further research is needed to differentiate behavioral changes caused by sepsis and pain or as a consequence of analgesia. Information on the efficacy of analgesia in sepsis models is scarce. Hence, studies are needed to identify the best ways to reduce suffering of research animals and thereby optimize the clinically relevant rodent models of sepsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Jeger
- Institute for Anesthesiology, University and University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Medicine, University and University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Till Hauffe
- Department of Medicine, University and University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Flora Nicholls-Vuille
- Research Unit, Department of Surgery, University and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dominique Bettex
- Institute for Anesthesiology, University and University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alain Rudiger
- Institute for Anesthesiology, University and University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
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Schneider LE, Henley KY, Turner OA, Pat B, Niedzielko TL, Floyd CL. Application of the Rat Grimace Scale as a Marker of Supraspinal Pain Sensation after Cervical Spinal Cord Injury. J Neurotrauma 2017; 34:2982-2993. [PMID: 27998207 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2016.4665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental models of neuropathic pain (NP) typically rely on withdrawal responses to assess the presence of pain. Reflexive withdrawal responses to a stimulus are used to evaluate evoked pain and, as such, do not include the assessment of spontaneous NP nor evaluation of the affective and emotional consequences of pain in animal models. Additionally, withdrawal responses can be mediated by spinal cord reflexes and may not accurately indicate supraspinal pain sensation. This is especially true in models of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), wherein spastic syndrome, a motor disorder characterized by exaggeration of the stretch reflex that is secondary to hyperexcitability of the spinal reflex, can cause paroxysmal withdrawals not associated with NP sensation. Consequently, the aim of this study was to utilize an assessment of supraspinal pain sensation, the Rat Grimace Scale (RGS), to measure both spontaneous and evoked NP after a contusion SCI at cervical level 5 in adult male rats. Spontaneous and evoked pain were assessed using the RGS to score facial action units before and after the application of a stimulus, respectively. Rodents exhibited significantly higher RGS scores at week 5 post-injury as compared to baseline and laminectomy controls before the application of the stimulus, suggesting the presence of spontaneous NP. Additionally, there was a significant increase in RGS scores after the application of the acetone. These data suggest that the RGS can be used to assess spontaneous NP and determine the presence of evoked supraspinal pain sensation after experimental cervical SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lonnie E Schneider
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Kathryn Y Henley
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Omari A Turner
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Betty Pat
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Tracy L Niedzielko
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Candace L Floyd
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, Alabama
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Yamanaka D, Kawano T, Nishigaki A, Aoyama B, Tateiwa H, Shigematsu-Locatelli M, Locatelli FM, Yokoyama M. The preventive effects of dexmedetomidine on endotoxin-induced exacerbated post-incisional pain in rats. J Anesth 2017; 31:664-671. [DOI: 10.1007/s00540-017-2374-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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