Analgesics in mice used in cancer research: Reduction of discomfort?

P. L.P. Van Loo*, L. A. Everse, M. R. Bernsen, V. Baumans, L. J. Hellebrekers, C. L.J.J. Kruitwagen, W. Den Otter

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

27 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

During the last decades, an increase is apparent in the use of analgesics for laboratory animals in situations where this was previously considered unnecessary. Mice with advanced tumours often show clear signs of discomfort which may be a result of chronic pain or a result of general ill-being. The syngeneic murine tumour model most frequently used in our experiments was used to investigate whether this discomfort can be reduced with an analgesic. Twenty DBA/2 mice bearing SL2 lymphoma were given 0.5 mg/kg buprenorphine (Temgesic®) in food gel twice daily, 20 tumour-bearing mice were given control food gel at the same times. Indicators of well-being were monitored daily. These included behavioural parameters such as exploration, grooming, and posture; food and water consumption and fur quality. All mice showed a clear increase of discomfort with time: explorative behaviours and grooming decreased, while sitting in hunched posture increased. Food and water consumption and fur quality also decreased. Major significant differences between the buprenorphine treated group and the control group were not apparent. In conclusion, we could not document a positive effect or buprenorphine on discomfort in mice as evaluated by our scoring system. It remains possible that pain itself was not the primary cause of the discomfort in mice bearing these tumours, or that the analgesic effect of buprenorphine was insufficient under these circumstances.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)318-325
Number of pages8
JournalLaboratory Animals
Volume31
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 1997

Keywords

  • Analgesia
  • Buprenorphine
  • Chronic pain
  • Mouse
  • Neoplasm
  • Tumour

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