Akimova M.A., Akimov D.Yu. Guinea pig in preclinical studies, optimal characteristics of the test system. Laboratory Animals for Science. 2021; 1. https://doi.org/10.29296/2618723X-2021-01-08
In the domestic and foreign literature, there are a number of differences on the criteria for including laboratory guinea pigs in preclinical studies. Modern Russian standards for the ratio of age and body weight are based on the knowledge of the last century, in which the biometric parameters of animals differ from the data of modern literature, due to the constant improvement of science on the content of laboratory rodents. In this connection, our aim of the study was to estimate the weight of guinea pigs in different age and sex groups for further rational formation of experimental groups during preclinical and biotranslational studies.
The study was conducted using 100 laboratory guinea pigs (50 males and 50 females) obtained in the nursery of JSC "NPO "House of Pharmacy". All animals were kept in the same room, and standard conditions of detention. Body weight monitoring was performed on the same animals, in the period from January 2019 to June 2019. Guinea pigs up to 4 weeks were not subjected to food deprivation before weighing, and older than 4 weeks were weighed before morning feeding (the period of deprivation was 8 hours). In the course of the study, we found that the most scientific interest is in sexually mature, non-giving birth laboratory animals aged from 7 (female) – 8 (male) weeks to 22 weeks. It is worth noting that at the age of up to 3 weeks, male and female guinea pigs have identical body weight dynamics. The greatest difference in weight is observed at the age of 8–10 weeks, when the body weight of males is 18% more, which is directly related to the puberty period, which occurs in females at the age of 7–8 weeks, and in males at 8–12 weeks.
When comparing the obtained data with the literature data, it was found that regardless of the geographical location, under similar conditions, the age and body weight ratio of guinea pigs fit into the standard range.