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. 2019 May 14;2(2):127-131.
doi: 10.1002/ame2.12068. eCollection 2019 Jun.

Effects of adaptation to handling on the circadian rhythmicity of blood solutes in Mongolian gerbils

Xingchen Liu  1 , Xiang Zheng  1 , Yihan Liu  1 , Xiaoyan Du  1   2 , Zhenwen Chen  1
Affiliations

Effects of adaptation to handling on the circadian rhythmicity of blood solutes in Mongolian gerbils

Xingchen Liu et al. Animal Model Exp Med. .

Abstract

The Mongolian gerbil has been widely used in many research fields and has been reported to be a diurnal laboratory animal. The circadian rhythmicity of these gerbils was investigated in the present study by measuring two hormones that show daily oscillations, cortisol and ACTH, in serum using ELISA kits. The levels of the two hormones were highest at 8:00 am and their rhythmic changes were similar to those in humans. In addition, the influence of stress of handling and blood collection on the physiological parameters of the gerbils was examined. After adaptation to handling for 1 week, some serum parameters in the animals changed. Handling and blood collection did not impact significantly on the following parameters: creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LD), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and albumin (ALB). However, blood glucose (GLU), total protein (TP) and globulin (GLB) significantly increased while creatinine (CRE) and albumin/globulin (A/G) significantly decreased after adaptation. This work further confirms that the Mongolian gerbil is a diurnal animal and also indicates that a suitable adaptation procedure is necessary for getting reliable results when performing experiments using these animals.

Keywords: Mongolian gerbils; circadian rhythmicity; diurnal animals; handling adaptation; physiological parameters; stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Serum cortisol and ACTH concentrations (ng/ml) measured before and after adaptation. Serum cortisol concentration was significantly increased at 08:00 after adaptation compared to the level before adaptation. There were significant differences in cortisol levels among the three time points—08:00, 16:00, and 24:00—before adaptation. Plasma ACTH concentration was significantly increased at 24:00 after adaptation. Both hormones displayed a downward trend after adaptation. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of handling adaptation on the levels of CK, LDH, ALT, AST, BUN, ALB, GLU, CRE, TP, GLB, and A/G in the serum of gerbils. Circulating GLU (at 08:00, P < 0.01), TP (at 24:00, P < 0.01) and GLB (at 24:00, P < 0.05) levels showed significant increases after adaptation compared to before adaptation. Circulating CRE (at 08:00, P < 0.01; at 24:00, P < 0.05) and A/G (at 08:00, P < 0.05; at 24:00, P < 0.05) levels showed significant decreases after adaptation compared to before adaptation. There were no obvious changes in the levels of CK, LD, ALT, AST, BUN, and ALB at 08:00 and 24:00, or in GLU at 24:00 and TP and GLB at 08:00. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01
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