This document provides information on common laboratory animals used for pharmacological and toxicological screening including rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, and mice. It describes the typical characteristics of each species such as temperature, weight, gestation period, and common experimental uses. Housing and handling requirements are also outlined to ensure proper care and minimize stress or pain for the animals. The location, design features, and hygiene standards of animal housing facilities are discussed as well.

1. KARNATAKA COLLEGE OF
PHARMACY
DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY
PHARMACOLOGICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL SCREENING
METHOD
prese
PRESENpreTATION ON
COMMON LABORATORY ANIMAL
presentation on common laboratory animal
PRESENTED BY : SUDARSHAN SINGH
M Pharm

2.  Content
 Description
 Handling &
 Application of different species and strain of animal

3. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
 Aristotle and erasistratus are the first to use living animals
in experiments.
 Animal use in science has been developed not only in drug
discovery but also in surgical procedures.

4. INTRODUCTION
 Physiologically and Anatomically there is a similarity
between the humans and animals at organs and organ
systems, which function in a similar fashion.
 This similarity makes animals ideal models for the study
and development of products and techniques for humans.
 It was the use of animals in the laboratory that lead to the
discovery of the diphtheria and polio vaccines, insulin for
the treatment of diabetes mellitus, heart valve replacement ,
antibiotic therapy, manic-depressive drugs and the list goes
on and on.

5. EXPERIMENTAL
PHARMACOLOGY
 deals with effect of various pharmacological agents
studied on different animal species
AIMS
 Find out the therapeutic agent suitable for human use
 Study the toxicity of the drugs
 Study the mechanism and site of action of drug

6. Pharmacology
Preclinical Clinical
Two ways
1) Intact animal study – in vivo
2) isolated organ study – invitro Phase -1,2,3,4
Discovery of new drugs or to study the
actions of existing drugs

7. Location of the animal house
 Animal house should be ideally be in a separate
building located in a quite atmosphere undisturbed by
traffic.
 The animal house should be kept clean and highly
hygienic and protected from rodent and vermin.
 It should have maximum protection from rain and
blazing sun.
 Plantation of small decorative plants surrounding
animal shall help to keep atmosphere cool
 it should also have extra space for office , surgery ,
store washing and sterilization , kitchen &
incinerator. In the simplest form animal house should
have four departments.

8. 1 ) For normal animal
2) For experimental animal
3) Clean stores for food and feeding
4) Washing, cleaning and incinerating area

9. HOUSING
 Through 8 species of animal need special housing
requirement depending on size. there should be
general consideration that they should live in comfort
and psychological acceptable habitat .at no cost ,over
crowding should be permitted because it is against
their general well being

10. Care and management of animal
 The health and well being of laboratory animals
depends almost on the care , humanity and the
watchfulness of the staff of the animal house to keep
the lab animals healthy , a high degree of technical
skill a genuine liking for animal and a full
understanding of their way of life is required

11. Handling of animals
 The handling of the laboratory animal involves two
most important responsibilities on the part of the
experiment.
 First the animal is handle with outmost care so that it
does not suffer any pain
 secondly , a due regard is paid toward the health and
well being of animal colony even when they are killed
at the end of experiment it should be done by a
humane method i.e. euthanasia, which means pain
less killing

12. Steps of Personal Bio-safety During
Animal Handling
 STEP 1:- Clothing
 STEP 2:- Health condition
 STEP 3:- Approaching

13. Commonly used animal
1 Rabbit
2 Guinea
3 Rats
4 Mouse

14. Rabbit
 Rectal temperature:- 38.7 C-39.1 C
 Normal respiratory rate:- 55 per minute
 Pulse rate:- 135 per min
 Gestation period:- 28-31 days
 Weaning age:- 6-8 weeks
 Mating age:- 6-9 months
 Room temp:- 15.5-18.5
 Humidity:- 40 -45 percent
 Weight – adult:- 0.9-6.75 kg

15. Handling(Rabbit)
 Smooth ear of the rabbit back
 pick up the ears and loose skin at the back of the
neck with one hand in a firm grip
 place the other hand under the hind quarter to support
the weight and lift gently.
 Never be lifted by ear alone
 Should be placed on a non-slippery surface
 If restraint is required during anesthesia or inoculation
, should be wrapped in a roller towel or placed in a
special box.

16. Common disease of rabbit
 Coccidioisis (hepatic and intestinal)
 Pseudo tuberculosis
 Respiratory infections( Snuffles)
 Pneumococci
 Streptococci
 Intestinal infections( mucoid enteritis, Diarrhoea)

17. Experimental procedure(Rabbit)
 Antisera
 Anesthesia
 Scarification
 Subcutaneous inoculation
 Intra-venous inoculation
 Intra-peritoneal inoculation
 Intra-cerebral inoculation
 Intra-testicular
 Ophthalmic
 Collection of blood

18. EXPERIMENTAL USES
 pyrogen testing
 bioassay of anti-diabetic, curare form drugs and sex
hormones
 pharmacokinetic studies
 studies related to antifertility agents
 isolated preparations like heart, duodenum, ileum,
pre’s
 study on local anesthetics
 Study on miotic and mydratics

19. 2: Guinea pig
 Rectal temp.:- 37.6-38.9
 Normal respiration rate:- 80 per minute
 Pulse rate:- 150 per minute
 Gestation period:- 59-72 days( avg. 63 days)
 Weaning age:- 14-21 days
 Mating age:- 12-30 weeks
 Room temp:- 18.5- 21
 Humidity:- 45%
 Weight –weaning :- 120g, adult:- 200-1000

20. Handling
 Place one hand across the back of the animal with
thumb behind the shoulder and the other fingers well
forward on the opposite side
 Lift the animal gently and support its weight with other
hand placed palm uppermost under the hind quarters.

21. EXPERIMENTAL USES
 evaluation of bronchodilators
 anaphylactic and immunological studies
 study of histamine and antihistamines
 bioassay of digitalis
 evaluation of local anesthetics
 hearing experiments because of sensitive cochlea
 isolated tissues especially ileum, heart
 study on TB and ascorbic acid metabolism

22. 3. Rat
 The albino rat has a wide head, rough fur and long
ears. The tail length is always less than the body
length. It has long cylindrical body, long thin tail and
very short legs.
 The head has a pointed snout with two silt like
nostrils, a narrow mouth with short lower jaw, and split
upper lips, two small beady eyes, set so that they can
look diagonally forwards and sideways, they have
numerous long whiskers. It has a

23. ADVANTAGES AND
CHARACTERISTICS
 Study of estrus cycle, mating behavior and lactation
 isolated tissue pre’s
 chronic study small in size
 drug to be tested required in small quantity
 vomiting center is absent – oral administration can be
done
 gall bladder and tonsils are absent
 Continuous flow of bile into intestine
 This facilitates the study of the drugs acting on bile,
cholesterol reabsorbing etc .
 pancreas are diffused therefore difficult to produce
panereactomy

24. EXPERIMENTAL USE
 psychopharmacological studies
 study of analgesics and anticonvulsants
 bioassay of various hormones, such as insulin,
oxytocin, vasopressin
 Gastric acid secretion
 hepatotoxicity studies

25. 4. Mouse:
 Normal temperature:- 37.4
 Pulse rate:- 120
 Estrous cycle:- 4-5 days
 Gestation period:- 19-21 days
 Weaning age:- 19-21 days
 Mating age:- 6-8 weeks
 Room temp.:- 20-21
 Humidity:- 50-60 %
 Weight- weaning : 7g ,adult:- 25-28 g

26. Common diseases(Mouse)
 Salmonellosis
 Ectromelia ( mouse pox)
 Streptobacillus moniliformis infection
 Miscellaneous virus infection
 Worms( Taenia - formis)

27. ADVANTAGES
 Smallest
 Easy to handle
 Cheap
 Less drug required

28. EXPERIMENTAL USES
 toxicological studies
 teratogenicity studies
 bioassay of insulin’ screening of analgesic and
anticonvulsant
 Screening of chemotherapeutic agents
 studies related to genetics and cancer research
 drugs action on CNS
 Swiss albino mice are commonly used species