Hi Everyone,
I am designing a pilot study using rodents to assess the effects of simulated space environments (radiation + altered gravity) on microbiome and immune system. I have limited experience with rodents therefore I was wondering what should be the considerations for choosing between mice and rats. Does the physiology of a rat provide a better model system for human (microbiome and immune)?
Which type of rodents (mouse vs rat) provide a better model for aging?
What group age should be used to mimic the age of an astronaut?
Which type of rodents (mouse vs rat) provide a better model for sex difference?
Thanks for your help
F.
Hello,
I have had a lot of experience concerning space environment, but I am afraid that concerning mice and rat, I am just an ignorant. But if I were to make a study on the effect of radiation on the aging of rodents and transpose it to Man, I would try to analyze the case of the naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) to see if its very long life and it's bee like reproduction could lead to inspiring results.
Maybe a silly idea, but I repeat I know nothing useful about rodents.
Hi Fathi,
for comparisons with humans, rats are better than mice, especially when using outbred strains. They also process drugs more similarly than mice compared to humans. Keep in mind that the outbred rats will display more individual variability (like humans) so that may require a slight bigger number of animals to account for this.
For sex differences I think both models can be fine, not sure about pros and cons of mice and rats in this domain.
To relate animals age to astronauts age it all depends on the lifespan. Each system may mature or decline at different point. Overall a rat lives approximately 3 years so taking animals at 18 months will be considered middle-aged for humans. I am not sure if the microbiome and immune system evolve over time so you may need to check this part.
Hope this helps :)