I'm experimenting on Swiss Albino mice and my goal is to make them obese. I don't know if there are any criteria to evaluate whether I have successfully grown fat or not? I read a few articles, they said that the weight of the fat was 40% higher than the control as success. Pls help me and thanks a lot.
Ofcourse, there are standardized protocols for raising obese and diabetic mice in research settings. These protocols ensure consistent conditions for experiments and ethical treatment of animals. Specific guidelines may vary based on the research institution and the purpose of the study, but they typically include controlled diets, monitoring of weight and glucose levels, and appropriate veterinary care. Researchers adhere to these standards to maintain the health and well-being of the mice while conducting experiments related to obesity and diabetes.
Hello Viet Ha,
I don't usually work with mice, but with rats. In this scenario, we use body weight to assure fat establishment because it is easy. We stablish that the difference in body weight between standard and experimental diet-fed animals has to be equal to or >2 standard deviations. I know there are other criteria as fat percentage, BMI or Lee index.
We have published an article about aging and obesity, so maybe it could be helpful for you to choose the best experimental period.
Article Novel insights and mechanisms of diet-induced obesity: Mid-t...
I will share with you another article that measure different parameters in obesity establishment, but in rats.
DOI: 10.1258/002367707779399518
I hope this could help
Dear Viet Ha
It would be even better if you could use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning (DEXA) to measure fat. Because these methods have replaced chemical carcass analysis to measure the fat component. It requires to sacrifice the mice and time-consuming. Dissecting and weighing of fat tissues in individual mice can also measure the total body fat. However, this method is less accurate. The collection of visceral fat can be challenging, as it is often integrated in the internal organs and cannot be accurately dissected.
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