Blood Pressure
Tail blood flow was evaluated photoelectronically with
automated cuff inflation at random intervals as described by
Krege et al., 1995.
Equipment: BP-2000 Blood Pressure Analysis System (Visitech
Systems, Apex, NC, USA). This machine has four restraining
units (dark metal tunnels open at one end) and a 37°C
warming plate. Computer-automated tail cuffs inflate and
deflate rapidly. Pressure is detected by a photo-resister
cell below each tail, and data are recorded electronically.
Animal preparation: Following a 7-day acclimation period,
mice were trained for 6 days on the equipment prior to
testing.
Data collection: Tail cuffs were placed on the tails of each
of four mice. Blood pressure was determined and recorded.
Mice were tested over 2-3 days and 10 measurements per day
were collected. The final systolic blood pressure value was
computed as the average of 20-30 measurements.
Body weight and organ morphology
Mice were weighed after blood pressure determination on the
day of sacrifice at 10 wks of age. Thymus, heart, kidneys,
and both adrenals were collected. Hearts were dissected
into four parts:
- free wall of right ventricle (RV)
- left ventricle including the interventricular septal wall (LV)
- right atrium (RA)
- left atrium (LA)
Organs or organ components were weighed individually.
Weights were normalized by dividing by whole body weight to
generate a weight index value.
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