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. 2022 Nov 1;61(6):611-614.
doi: 10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-22-000047. Epub 2022 Nov 14.

Effect of Bedding Substrates on Blood Glucose and Body Weight in Mice

Sylvia Y Kondo  1 , Jasmine Kropik  2 , Michael Adly Wong  3
Affiliations

Effect of Bedding Substrates on Blood Glucose and Body Weight in Mice

Sylvia Y Kondo et al. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. .

Abstract

Differences in cage microenvironments may contribute to variation in data and affect the outcome of animal studies involving metabolic diseases. To study this, we compared the effects 3 types of bedding-corncob bedding, hardwood bedding, and hardwood bedding plus a cardboard enrichment item-on baseline fasting and nonfasting blood glucose and body weight in mice. Mice housed on corncob bedding showed significantly higher fasting blood glucose than did mice housed on hardwood bedding, with or without the enrichment item. None of the groups showed an effect of bedding type on nonfasting blood glucose levels or body weight. This information informs the choice of bedding substrates for studies that measure fasting blood glucose and potentially mitigates a variable that could confound research outcomes.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic of randomized-block cage treatment schedule. Each cage contained 5 randomly assigned mice, for a total of 6 cages. The 3 cage treatments were: 1) hardwood bedding; 2) hardwood bedding plus an autoclaved cardboard toilet paper roll for enrichment; and 3) corncob bedding. Each treatment exposure period lasted 1 wk; each cage was exposed twice to each 1-wk treatment, for a total of 6 wk.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Box plot distribution of FBG levels in mice exposed to 3 cage treatments, with median values and reference intervals. These box plots revealed differences in FBG data for corncob bedding, which were more dispersed and slightly different (P = 8.177 × 10–5) from those for the other 2 treatments.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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