Rodent Thermoregulation: Considerations for Tail-Cuff Blood Pressure Measurements

Abstract

Noninvasive blood pressure measurement devices have gained popularity in recent years as an alternative to radiotelemetry and other invasive blood pressure measurement techniques. While many factors must be considered when choosing a measurement method, specific variables should be evaluated when using a tail-cuff blood pressure technique. Rodents have complex and dynamic thermal biology processes that involve fluctuating vasomotor tone of the tail. This and other factors that affect vascular tone, such as the autonomic response to stress, significantly affect peripheral blood flow. Awareness and consideration of thermoregulatory states and vasomotor tone can increase success and decrease variability when measuring blood pressure measurements using a tail-cuff measurement technique.

Figure 1.

A multitude of factors related to housing status, the animal’s ability to perform natural thermoregulatory behaviors, and study protocols can affect an individual animal’s thermoregulatory processes and thermoneutral zone.^,,,

Figure 2.

Several conditions should be documented based on ARRIVE and ACLAM reporting guidelines.^, Identifying and reporting these potential variables, among others, can help to increase reproducibility among tail-cuff blood pressure studies.