I am trying to establish BALB/c mouse colitis induced by citrobacter rodentium. Iused flow cytometry to analyze the Treg cell of LPMC from inflamed colon.
I would like to know, based on what requirements to decide the sex of animal? It seems that the majority choose female mice, but some researchers use half male and female. What is the difference between them? Will the sex of mice have an obvious influence on the final result?
It known that male and female immune system responsiveness is not the same. In humans, the incidence of autoimmune diseases is, somehow, higher in females that in males (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus).
Perform a PubMed serch using "sex" and "immune system" will help you understand the importance of gender in immunity.
Best regards
Is your goal to develop a new animal model, or just to study colitis? If you're developing a new model, run tests in populations of both males and females and compare results. What would make one sex a better model of the human condition?
Here's a paper I found reviewing different mouse models of colitis:
http://www.jleukbio.org/content/67/3/267.full.pdf
You can use mice of both sexes ,but in different groups,since theif reactivity is different.
.S Dolina
Use female mice. Period. Males establish dominance within a cage. So, one or two great looking dominant ones who beat up the rest. Way a no brainer, and been known for decades. Estrus doesn't matter nearly as much, as suggested. Good luck, Charlie
Balb/C mice are most sensitive and immune responder strains. These are most commonly used in immunogenic studies. Males are mostly dominant and difficult to maintain only males in a group as they have tendency to fight. In other hand compare to male, female mice are more responsive and immune sensitive because of variations in the hormonal physiology and immune defense mechanisms. So, mostly young and adult female Balb/c of 4-6 weeks were preferred as suitable model for immunology studies.
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