Evaluation of Parameters Which Influence Voluntary Ingestion of Supplements in Rats
Drug safety and efficacy studies frequently use oral gavage, but repetitive usage may cause problems. Administration through voluntary ingestion represents an opportunity for refinement. We aimed to develop a protocol for voluntary ingestion of gelatin-based supplements in rats, assessing the influe...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/11/1827 |
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| author | Santiago Ruvira Pilar Rodríguez-Rodríguez Silvia Cañas David Ramiro-Cortijo Yolanda Aguilera David Muñoz-Valverde Silvia M. Arribas |
| author_facet | Santiago Ruvira Pilar Rodríguez-Rodríguez Silvia Cañas David Ramiro-Cortijo Yolanda Aguilera David Muñoz-Valverde Silvia M. Arribas |
| author_sort | Santiago Ruvira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drug safety and efficacy studies frequently use oral gavage, but repetitive usage may cause problems. Administration through voluntary ingestion represents an opportunity for refinement. We aimed to develop a protocol for voluntary ingestion of gelatin-based supplements in rats, assessing the influence of age, sex, fasting (4 h), and additives (vanilla, VF; sucralose, S), and to test it in lactating dams. Three-week-old and 5-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats were placed individually in an empty cage containing a gelatin cube and trained daily (5 days/week), recording the day the whole cube was consumed (latency). Rats trained prior to gestation were offered a gelatin containing 250 mg/kg cocoa shell extract (CSE) during lactation. Rats that did not eat the cube after 8 training days were considered non-habituated, with a proportion similar in young males (7.1%), young females (11.1%), and adult females (10.3%), but significantly higher in adult males (39.3%). Excluding non-habituated rats, latency was 2–3 days, without differences between young and adult rats (<i>p</i> = 0.657) or between males and females (<i>p</i> = 0.189). VF or VF + S in the gelatin did not modify latency, while fasting significantly reduced it in females (<i>p</i> = 0.007) but not in males (<i>p</i> = 0.501). During lactation, trained females ate the CSE-gelatin within 1–5 min without litter problems. Conclusions: Acceptance of a gelatin-based supplement is negatively influenced by male sex, facilitated by fasting, and not modified by additives. Training is remembered after 2 months and does not interfere with lactation. Gelatin-based voluntary ingestion is suitable to administer drugs that need to pass through the digestive system, ensuring adequate dosage, and is important to detect non-habituated rats prior to the study. The current protocol may be implemented by training the rats in their own cage. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:12:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-75ceb46228844c0cb142aefe63dd3beb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:12:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
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| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-75ceb46228844c0cb142aefe63dd3beb2023-11-18T07:30:14ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-05-011311182710.3390/ani13111827Evaluation of Parameters Which Influence Voluntary Ingestion of Supplements in RatsSantiago Ruvira0Pilar Rodríguez-Rodríguez1Silvia Cañas2David Ramiro-Cortijo3Yolanda Aguilera4David Muñoz-Valverde5Silvia M. Arribas6Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Arzobispo Morcillo 2, 28029 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Arzobispo Morcillo 2, 28029 Madrid, SpainFood, Oxidative Stress and Cardiovascular Health (FOSCH) Research Group, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Arzobispo Morcillo 2, 28029 Madrid, SpainFood, Oxidative Stress and Cardiovascular Health (FOSCH) Research Group, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, SpainAnimal House Facility, Veterinary Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Arzobispo Morcillo 2, 28029 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Arzobispo Morcillo 2, 28029 Madrid, SpainDrug safety and efficacy studies frequently use oral gavage, but repetitive usage may cause problems. Administration through voluntary ingestion represents an opportunity for refinement. We aimed to develop a protocol for voluntary ingestion of gelatin-based supplements in rats, assessing the influence of age, sex, fasting (4 h), and additives (vanilla, VF; sucralose, S), and to test it in lactating dams. Three-week-old and 5-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats were placed individually in an empty cage containing a gelatin cube and trained daily (5 days/week), recording the day the whole cube was consumed (latency). Rats trained prior to gestation were offered a gelatin containing 250 mg/kg cocoa shell extract (CSE) during lactation. Rats that did not eat the cube after 8 training days were considered non-habituated, with a proportion similar in young males (7.1%), young females (11.1%), and adult females (10.3%), but significantly higher in adult males (39.3%). Excluding non-habituated rats, latency was 2–3 days, without differences between young and adult rats (<i>p</i> = 0.657) or between males and females (<i>p</i> = 0.189). VF or VF + S in the gelatin did not modify latency, while fasting significantly reduced it in females (<i>p</i> = 0.007) but not in males (<i>p</i> = 0.501). During lactation, trained females ate the CSE-gelatin within 1–5 min without litter problems. Conclusions: Acceptance of a gelatin-based supplement is negatively influenced by male sex, facilitated by fasting, and not modified by additives. Training is remembered after 2 months and does not interfere with lactation. Gelatin-based voluntary ingestion is suitable to administer drugs that need to pass through the digestive system, ensuring adequate dosage, and is important to detect non-habituated rats prior to the study. The current protocol may be implemented by training the rats in their own cage.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/11/1827food supplementgelatinvoluntary ingestionhabituationratssex |
| spellingShingle | Santiago Ruvira Pilar Rodríguez-Rodríguez Silvia Cañas David Ramiro-Cortijo Yolanda Aguilera David Muñoz-Valverde Silvia M. Arribas Evaluation of Parameters Which Influence Voluntary Ingestion of Supplements in Rats Animals food supplement gelatin voluntary ingestion habituation rats sex |
| title | Evaluation of Parameters Which Influence Voluntary Ingestion of Supplements in Rats |
| title_full | Evaluation of Parameters Which Influence Voluntary Ingestion of Supplements in Rats |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of Parameters Which Influence Voluntary Ingestion of Supplements in Rats |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of Parameters Which Influence Voluntary Ingestion of Supplements in Rats |
| title_short | Evaluation of Parameters Which Influence Voluntary Ingestion of Supplements in Rats |
| title_sort | evaluation of parameters which influence voluntary ingestion of supplements in rats |
| topic | food supplement gelatin voluntary ingestion habituation rats sex |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/11/1827 |
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