In the past, the difficulty of obtaining mouse urine, including the use of complex and stress-inducing metabolic cages, limited the use of urinalysis in research. Today, with the very humane use of LabSand, urine collection is extremely easy for researchers and very non-stressful and natural for mice, which has created the opportunity to expand the mice urinalysis as part of research projects.
There are many different research types or specializations which include mouse urinalysis as part of their experimentation and testing methods. These include in the fields of disease management, metabolic processes, biochemical, pharmaceutical and even in behavioral studies.
Why Mice?
Using mice or rats is very important in research. They have a high metabolic rate, a short lifespan, and they are easy to handle and adapt well to research environments. However, and more importantly, their metabolism and biological mechanisms are actually very close to humans. This allows testing in mice to be projected to results expected in humans.
Also, since lines of mice for research have been carefully bred and inbred, there is the ability to control for genetics, something not as easily controlled in other types of animal populations. Specific mice are also bred without immune systems, and these are essential in studying malignant growths and treatment options.
Mouse Urine Analysis
Mouse urine analysis has played a key role in the development of many medications and treatments for conditions such as diabetes, HIV and AIDS, cancers, drug addiction treatments as well as seizures and respiratory problems.
How fast specific bio-markers are metabolized and processed by the body is also a common test completed through mouse urinalysis. This requires the ability to collect contaminant free samples quickly and efficiently at specific times. Using a low-stress way to collect the urine is critical to the accuracy of these types of testing protocols.
Mouse urine can be tested for levels of glucose, the presence or absence of proteins, chemicals, toxins and metabolic by-products. Often for testing in laboratory settings or for a diagnosis only a few drops of fresh urine are required.
Cancer Studies
New trends in research are highlighting the importance of mouse urine collection. One of the most promising uses of urinalysis is in the detection of specific types of cancers, including liver cancer, through the use of microbes and specialized compounds that, when combined with the engineered microbes, caused the mouse urine to change color from yellow to red.
This research is very promising, as it provides a positive test for the specific cancer through the use of harmless microbes. As the diagnosis is made through the urinalysis and not through a biopsy of the liver, there is no stress to the mouse, and hopefully eventually to a human, when liver cancer is suspected.
As research continues to focus in on specifically developed lines of mice in research, greater opportunities for safe, effective and humane experimentation through urinalysis will increase. With this data collection method, which closely models what can be expected in humans, increased detection, diagnosis and treatment methods will become available for treating a range of medical conditions.
