Good to Know: Baseline Data on Feed Intake, Fecal Pellet Output and Intestinal Transit Time in Guinea Pig as a Frequently Used Model in Gastrointestinal Research
Guinea pigs are a traditional and frequently used species in gastrointestinal research. Comprehensive knowledge of basic parameters connected with their intestinal function, such as feed intake, fecal pellet output and gastrointestinal transit time, is important for evaluating results from basic gas...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/6/1593 |
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| author | Kristin Elfers Yvonne Armbrecht Gemma Mazzuoli-Weber |
| author_facet | Kristin Elfers Yvonne Armbrecht Gemma Mazzuoli-Weber |
| author_sort | Kristin Elfers |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Guinea pigs are a traditional and frequently used species in gastrointestinal research. Comprehensive knowledge of basic parameters connected with their intestinal function, such as feed intake, fecal pellet output and gastrointestinal transit time, is important for evaluating results from basic gastrointestinal research that may be applied to practical problems in human and veterinary medicine, for example, when establishing diagnostic tools. Our study revealed that over a 24-h period, single-housed guinea pigs showed a continual but day-accentuated feeding activity, consuming 57% of the total feed during the light period, with pronounced peaks of feed intake during the beginning and end of the light period. This was mirrored by fecal pellet output during the light period and almost no defecation during the dark period, while potential coprophagy not measured in this study needs to be considered. A highly comparable feeding activity was recorded in pair-housed guinea pigs, with 60% of overall feed intake within the light period, indicating that such differences in housing conditions did not influence guinea pigs’ feeding behavior. Intestinal transit time was successfully recorded by oral administration of carmine red and counted 5 h on average. Hence, this study provides important information on the basic functional parameters of guinea pigs’ gastrointestinal tract physiology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:56:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f7390c2ea4a1416293a319fd5bde1ff2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:56:08Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-f7390c2ea4a1416293a319fd5bde1ff22023-11-21T21:51:53ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152021-05-01116159310.3390/ani11061593Good to Know: Baseline Data on Feed Intake, Fecal Pellet Output and Intestinal Transit Time in Guinea Pig as a Frequently Used Model in Gastrointestinal ResearchKristin Elfers0Yvonne Armbrecht1Gemma Mazzuoli-Weber2Institute for Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30173 Hannover, GermanyInstitute for Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30173 Hannover, GermanyInstitute for Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30173 Hannover, GermanyGuinea pigs are a traditional and frequently used species in gastrointestinal research. Comprehensive knowledge of basic parameters connected with their intestinal function, such as feed intake, fecal pellet output and gastrointestinal transit time, is important for evaluating results from basic gastrointestinal research that may be applied to practical problems in human and veterinary medicine, for example, when establishing diagnostic tools. Our study revealed that over a 24-h period, single-housed guinea pigs showed a continual but day-accentuated feeding activity, consuming 57% of the total feed during the light period, with pronounced peaks of feed intake during the beginning and end of the light period. This was mirrored by fecal pellet output during the light period and almost no defecation during the dark period, while potential coprophagy not measured in this study needs to be considered. A highly comparable feeding activity was recorded in pair-housed guinea pigs, with 60% of overall feed intake within the light period, indicating that such differences in housing conditions did not influence guinea pigs’ feeding behavior. Intestinal transit time was successfully recorded by oral administration of carmine red and counted 5 h on average. Hence, this study provides important information on the basic functional parameters of guinea pigs’ gastrointestinal tract physiology.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/6/1593guinea pigfeeding patternfecal pellet outputintestinal transit timecarmine redgastroenterology |
| spellingShingle | Kristin Elfers Yvonne Armbrecht Gemma Mazzuoli-Weber Good to Know: Baseline Data on Feed Intake, Fecal Pellet Output and Intestinal Transit Time in Guinea Pig as a Frequently Used Model in Gastrointestinal Research Animals guinea pig feeding pattern fecal pellet output intestinal transit time carmine red gastroenterology |
| title | Good to Know: Baseline Data on Feed Intake, Fecal Pellet Output and Intestinal Transit Time in Guinea Pig as a Frequently Used Model in Gastrointestinal Research |
| title_full | Good to Know: Baseline Data on Feed Intake, Fecal Pellet Output and Intestinal Transit Time in Guinea Pig as a Frequently Used Model in Gastrointestinal Research |
| title_fullStr | Good to Know: Baseline Data on Feed Intake, Fecal Pellet Output and Intestinal Transit Time in Guinea Pig as a Frequently Used Model in Gastrointestinal Research |
| title_full_unstemmed | Good to Know: Baseline Data on Feed Intake, Fecal Pellet Output and Intestinal Transit Time in Guinea Pig as a Frequently Used Model in Gastrointestinal Research |
| title_short | Good to Know: Baseline Data on Feed Intake, Fecal Pellet Output and Intestinal Transit Time in Guinea Pig as a Frequently Used Model in Gastrointestinal Research |
| title_sort | good to know baseline data on feed intake fecal pellet output and intestinal transit time in guinea pig as a frequently used model in gastrointestinal research |
| topic | guinea pig feeding pattern fecal pellet output intestinal transit time carmine red gastroenterology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/6/1593 |
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