Stress-induced hyperthermia in rodents and why it matters to your research
11 Jan 2023 - Nuno Franco, i3S, University of Porto | 15h30 - CIBIO-InBIO’s Auditorium, Campus de Vairão
CASUAL SEMINAR IN BIODIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION
Stress-induced hyperthermia (SIH) is a physiological response to acute stressful events in mammals. It is mediated by HPA axis activation, causing redirection of blood flow with consequential temperature variations in different body regions. These temperature changes can therefore objectively identify stress responses. Traditional methods measuring temperature in laboratory rodents, such as thermometers and battery-operated telemetry devices, may themselves be stressful and invasive, and thus impact results. In this talk I will present results from our study using thermosensitive PIT-tags and infrared thermography (IRT) as non-invasive approaches to follow temperature changes during mildly stressful events in laboratory mice, and discuss why researchers should mind and measure the impact of acute stressors in rodents, in order to minimize their impact on the research outcome.
Nuno Henrique Franco has degrees in both Animal Biology and Science Education, and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. Nuno is a researcher at the i3S (University of Porto) on the topics of laboratory animal welfare, animal ethics and the 3Rs, and scientific quality. He is vice-president of the Portuguese Society for Laboratory Animal Science (SPCAL) and President of the EU Education & Training Platform for Laboratory Animal Science (ETPLAS). He sits on the i3S Animal Welfare Body and coordinates the Portuguese Network of Animal Welfare Bodies – RedeORBEA.
[Host: Zbyszek Boratyński, Biodiversity of Deserts and Arid Regions - BIODESERTS, Functional Biodiversity - FBIO]