Abstract
ABSTRACTHematologic analysis is an efficient and valuable tool for real-time health monitoring and immune analysis in mouse aging studies. However, many frequently used blood sampling techniques in mice are incompatible with continuous monitoring with increasing age, as they may involve anesthesia, cause severe stress, or require a high volume of blood. This technical report describes a convenient relatively noninvasive procedure for counting white blood cells in C57Bl/6 mice by an optimized tail blood collection method followed by Wright-Giemsa and Türk staining. This technique can be performed on unanesthetized mice in less than 1 min with minimal stress using only a few microliters of blood. White blood cell analysis can include but is not limited to total and differential white blood cell count and cell morphology. The low blood volume collected is ideal for aging mice in longer-term experiments requiring regular and continuous monitoring.
Highlights
Alterations in peripheral white blood cell counts can be triggered by a plethora of diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and sleep deprivation[1]
Tail venipuncture is an alternate low-volume and non-invasive blood collection method that can mitigate stress response in mice by eliminating the need for anesthesia or restraint and reducing time required for the procedure
The results indicate our method is able to safely collect blood to detect drug-induced white blood cell (WBC) changes without causing detectable adverse effects or stress to the old mice
Summary
Alterations in peripheral white blood cell counts can be triggered by a plethora of diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and sleep deprivation[1]. KEYWORDS Blood collection protocol; aging mice; hematology; white blood cell differentiation Monitoring these changes in mouse models has important implications for studying age-related disease [2] and can be accomplished through the collection and analysis of peripheral blood samples, and the quantification and characterization of specific populations of white blood cells[3]. Tail venipuncture is an alternate low-volume and non-invasive blood collection method that can mitigate stress response in mice by eliminating the need for anesthesia or restraint and reducing time required for the procedure.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call