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IACUC / LARC STANDARD PROCEDURES
SKIN TRANSPLANTATION IN MICE (Posted May 2007)
Description of procedure:
Preparation of Donor Tissue: The donor mouse is euthanized.
The tail is removed and disinfected with 70% ethanol and the skin is removed with a
sterile scalpel blade, making a slit around the circumference of the tail and then
down the middle. Using sterile forceps, the tail skin is pulled off the bone in one
complete piece. Skin is placed in a Petri dish lid with dermis down and cut into
square segments. The skin is kept moist with sterile PBS-soaked gauze, placed on the
bottom of the Petri dish.
Grafting Procedure: Recipient mice are anesthetized and
analgesics are administered in accord with the protocol. The surgical site is
shaved or clipped and disinfected with betadine or chlorhexidine. Using sterile
curved iris scissors, an area of skin slightly larger than the skin graft is
carefully snipped away, being careful not to cut the panniculus (graft size
specified in protocol). The donor skin graft is placed onto the prepared graft
bed, and secured with a piece of non-adhering gauze (Adaptec) pad. The wound is
secured with an adhesive strip. Antibiotics may be indicated The mouse is placed
in a cage with a heating lamp, or heat pad, and allowed to recover. After a number
of days (between 7-14 days) mice are anesthetized and the adhesive strips and gauze
removed. Transplanted mice will be followed until graft rejection or until a time
specified in the protocol, when they will be euthanized for study.
Mice will be evaluated for general appearance, ability to move
normally around cage and reach food and water, ability to eat and drink, grooming
habits, skin color, lethargy, aggression (animals will be housed individually if
aggressive behavior is shown). Mice will be evaluated by the Body Condition
scoring index or by body weight. Mice will be monitored continuously after
anesthesia until ambulatory. Mice are then monitored daily for the first 5-7 days
and weekly thereafter for 60-160 days. Mice with a Body Condition score < 2 or loss
of 15% body weight will be euthanized.
Literature search words required:
Literature search was performed for refinement of this Standard Procedure on April 9, 2007
| Key Words |
Search Site |
Years Covered |
| Skin graft rejection in mice |
Pubmed |
1956-2007 |
Agents:
Anesthestics, antibiotics, analgesics
This procedure requires general anesthesia and
systemic analgesics. All agents administered to animals should be listed
in the "Agents" section of RIO.
Adverse Effects:
| Procedure, Agent or Phenotype |
Potential Adverse Effects |
Management |
| Skin graft rejection |
Infection, skin slough |
Antibiotics or euthanasia if infection is severe |
Monitoring Parameters:
| Monitoring Parameters |
Frequency |
PI/Lab will Document |
| General appearance/activity level |
First 5-7 days post-grafting then weekly thereafter |
No |
| Examine graft site |
First 5-7 days post-grafting then weekly thereafter |
Yes |
| Body condition scoring or body weight |
First 5-7 days post-grafting then weekly thereafter |
No - unless indicated |
| Describe the conditions, complications, and criteria
(e.g. uncontrolled infection, loss of more than 15% body weight, etc.) that would
lead to removal of an animal from the study, and describe how this will be
accomplished (e.g. stopping treatment, euthanasia). |
| Euthanasia criteria: BCS < 2 or weight loss of 15%. Animals with sloughed grafts will be euthanized. |
| For all investigators housing animals with tumor formation,
skin lesions, neurological deficits, or that are in Category E, list the expected
characteristics/clinical presentations and endpoints of the animal model and the
criteria for euthanasia. Note: The IACUC also requires such lists to be posted in the
respective animal rooms and monitored by the IACUC compliance staff and LARC, to assure
PI adherence to the endpoints listed. |
| Euthanasia criteria: BCS < 2 or weight loss of 15%. Animals with sloughed grafts will be euthanized. |
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