Abstract
BackgroundInbred strains are characterized by less genetic variation, which suggests usefulness of inbred strains for evaluations of various parameters. In this study, experimental reproducibility in several parameters was compared between an outbred Wistar rat and Wistar King A Hokkaido (WKAH/HkmSlc) rat, the inbred strain that is originated from Wistar rats.MethodsDifference of variations was investigated in parameters of body compositions and liver functions such as body weight, liver weight, liver triglycerides (TG), liver cholesterol and plasma alanine aminotransferase activity (ALT) between WKAH rats and outbred Wistar rats by using the coefficient of variation (CV).ResultsThere was no difference in the CVs of body weight and relative liver weight between WKAH and Wistar rats. The CVs of body weight and relative liver weight were below 10% in both WKAH and Wistar rats. The CVs of TG, cholesterol, and ALT in Wistar rats were between 30 and 40%, whereas those in WKAH rats were between 10 and 25%. A low CV level of TG was observed in WKAH rats compared to that in Wistar rats regardless of the duration of the experimental period in those rat strains.ConclusionThe low CV values in metabolic parameters involved in liver functions in the inbred rats suggested an advantage of using inbred rather than outbred rats for the evaluation of liver lipid metabolism.
Highlights
Inbred strains are characterized by less genetic variation, which suggests usefulness of inbred strains for evaluations of various parameters
Inbred strains are generally characterized by genetic uniformity, which results in less phenotypic variation in response to toxic or pharmacologic stimuli compared with outbred stocks [2]
There was no significant difference in the coefficient of variation (CV) of body weight, liver weight, cholesterol, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) among the studies
Summary
Inbred strains are characterized by less genetic variation, which suggests usefulness of inbred strains for evaluations of various parameters. Inbred strains and outbred stocks are the two major classes of laboratory rodents [1]. Inbred strains are generally characterized by genetic uniformity, which results in less phenotypic variation in response to toxic or pharmacologic stimuli compared with outbred stocks [2]. Outbred stocks are characterized by Recently, utilization of inbred strains in research has been proposed based on genetic stability [4], but difference of variation in metabolic parameters was still unclear among inbred and outbred animals. The use of outbred animals is prevailing in many fields of in vivo research.
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