We are currently doing a research on the effect of different slimming capsules thus, we need to monitor the body fat percentage of a mouse without killing it.
I would apply some methods from human.
1. You can compute the Body Mass Index BMI = mass (kg) / (height (m))^2. And you have to produce a table for any animal.
You can find details in many papers. (E.g. Body mass index reference curves for the UK, 1990, T J Cole, J V Freeman, M A Preece, http://adc.bmj.com/content/73/1/25.full.pdf)
2. For human, from the measurements of circular sizes at a person, at different levels (abdominal, thoracic etc ), they also estimate the body fat percentage.
3. There is also an invasive method with a probe pressing into the abdominal fat wall.
4. Laser light interaction by fat tissue can give some properties (I used laser biophotometry ).
I would apply some methods from human.
1. You can compute the Body Mass Index BMI = mass (kg) / (height (m))^2. And you have to produce a table for any animal.
You can find details in many papers. (E.g. Body mass index reference curves for the UK, 1990, T J Cole, J V Freeman, M A Preece, http://adc.bmj.com/content/73/1/25.full.pdf)
2. For human, from the measurements of circular sizes at a person, at different levels (abdominal, thoracic etc ), they also estimate the body fat percentage.
3. There is also an invasive method with a probe pressing into the abdominal fat wall.
4. Laser light interaction by fat tissue can give some properties (I used laser biophotometry ).
Difficult matter.
In humans, the best machine has a +/- 2,5% difference in total fat measurement. That could already be enough to not serve your study. A normal commercial professional scale has a +/-3,5% error.
In humans the only actual way to find out the exact body fat is ...disection.
Obviously are designed for humans so in any case you will not be able to use it.
BMI does not measure fat and is not predictive either of total body fat.
The measurement of circumferences in a mouse would be impossible as they are really flexible.
Skinfolds are another way in humans, but I dont think it´s even studied in rats. (I don´t know).
I don´t find any way if is not disection :(
I mean, that you can use the whole body densitometry. This methody is using by laboratory animals
Small animal NMR - There are several commercially available analytical platforms to make repeated measures of body composition over time.
Please let me know if these references/sites are helpful to you:
1. Body Fat Content Can Be Predicted In Vivo in Mice Using a ...
jn.nutrition.org/content/131/11/2963.full
... we developed a modified technique to estimate body fat in mice based on the ... measure the ratio of photon ... percentage of fat area was 1.0% for mice ...
Published in:Journal of Nutrition · 2001
Authors:Klara Sjogren · Nina Hellberg · Mohammad Bohloolyy · Lars Savendahl · Marie Johan…
Affiliation:University of Gothenburg · Astrazeneca · Karolinska Institutet · Linnaeus University · A…
About:In vivo · Body composition
2. Estimation of body fat in normal and obese mice
.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7370219
Estimation of body fat in normal and obese mice. ... estimate of body fat, ... is recommended as a simple reliable estimate of body fat in normal or obese mice ...
Dennis
Dennis Mazur
@Dennis Mazur Can you please elaborate the method to estimate obesity in mice?