Refinement of the motorised laminectomy-assisted rat spinal cord injury model by analgesic treatment

PLOS ONE, 2024 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0294720 · Published: January 16, 2024

Simple Explanation

This study investigates the impact of different analgesic treatments on the well-being and functional outcomes of rats with spinal cord injuries. Researchers aimed to determine if pain relief affected the results of SCI experiments. Female Wistar rats were used in the experiment, and different groups received different analgesic regimens, including NSAIDs and opioids, after undergoing a laminectomy and spinal cord injury. The rats' well-being and motor function were monitored over eight weeks. The findings suggest that using analgesics improved the rats' well-being without interfering with the functional outcomes of the spinal cord injury model. This supports the ethical use of pain relief in animal research without compromising experimental results.

Study Duration

8 weeks

Participants

42 female Wistar rats

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Analgesia improved animal well-being, as indicated by body weight, Rat Grimace Scale (RGS) scores, and dark-phase home cage activity.
2
The use of analgesia did not significantly affect the functional aspects of the animal model, such as BBB scores, NOR test results, or histopathological outcomes (vacuolization area and live neuronal count).
3
The no-analgesia group consistently had lower body weights compared to the groups that received analgesia during the initial weeks after surgery.

Research Summary

This study evaluated the effects of different analgesic regimens on the well-being and functional outcomes of rats with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Forty-two female Wistar rats were divided into six groups, receiving different combinations of tramadol, buprenorphine, carprofen, and meloxicam, or no analgesia. The results indicated that providing analgesia improved animal well-being, as shown by body weight, Rat Grimace Scale (RGS) scores, and dark-phase home cage activity. Specifically, rats in the no-analgesia group had lower body weights and higher RGS scores, indicating greater pain and reduced activity. Importantly, the use of analgesia did not significantly affect the functional outcomes of the SCI model, including BBB scores, Novel Object Recognition (NOR) test results, and histopathological measures (vacuolization area and live neuronal count). This supports the ethical use of analgesics in SCI research without compromising experimental validity.

Practical Implications

Ethical Animal Research

Promotes the ethical use of analgesics in animal models of SCI to improve welfare without compromising experimental outcomes.

Analgesic Protocol Standardization

Encourages the standardization and optimization of analgesic protocols in SCI research for better comparison of studies.

Improved Post-operative Care

Highlights the importance of post-operative pain management in SCI studies to enhance recovery and well-being.

Study Limitations

1
The study primarily used female rats, limiting the generalizability of findings to male subjects.
2
The study did not include tramadol-alone and buprenorphine-alone treatment groups, which could have provided further insights into the effectiveness of individual drugs.
3
The study manually performed laminectomy using a motorized dental burr, and it is required to replicate this study by performing laminectomy manually to study the effects of analgesia.

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