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Mouse restrainer for collection of ascitic fluid including monoclonal antibody
Journal of Immunological Methods, 126 (1990) 295-296
295
Elsevier JIM05489
Letter to the editors
Mouse restrainer for collection of ascitic fluid including monoclonal antibody Noriko Hasegawa and Tsuneya Ohno Department of Microbiology I, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 25.8, Nishi-Shinbashi, 3 Chome, Minato-Kt~ Tokyo 105, Japan (Received 3 November 1989, accepted 7 November 1989)
Some of them are concerned with the study of percutaneous absorption of chemicals (Rice and Kettere, 1977), mouse tail vein injection (Furner and Mellet, 1975; Boggs, 1978), and mouse sub-
Dear Editors, Many researchers have developed various kinds of restraining devices for small laboratory animals.
,¢
JJj J itl c
1 f
8
Fig. 1. A styrofoam package box was modified by cutting (.4). A ' is the section, a, b, c, and d are 30 cm, 24 cm, 6 cm, and 10 cm, respectively. Eight bar magnets (C) and a plastic plate ( D ) were fixed on the board (B) with scotch tape. Letters e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, and m are 40 cm, 15 cm, 1.5 cm, 16 cm, 2.5 cm, 11 cm, 24 cm, 10 cm, and 1 cm, respectively.
Correspondence to: N. Hasegawa, Department of Microbiology I, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 25-8, NishiShinbashi, 3 Chome, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 105, Japan. 0022-1759/90/$03.50 © 1990 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (Biomedical Division)
296 cutaneous injection (Hasegawa and San Clemente, 1977; Oda and Miranda, 1977). However, we need a new type of restraining device for collecting ascitic fluid from the peritoneal cavity of mice for the study of monoclonal antibodies. In our laboratory, ascitic fluid is collected from mice almost every day. We restrain a mouse in our left hand, pick up its neck between the thumb and the first finger, put the middle finger under its back, and press its tail on the palm of our hand with the third finger and little finger. Then we insert a needle into the peritoneal cavity with our right hand, and drain the fluid through a syringe into a tube. But the hand restraining method is too hard for the fingers to collect fluids from more than only a few mice, while sometimes we have to collect them from more than 30 mice in one day. To avoid finger fatigue we invented a simple mouse restraining device for collecting ascitic fluid. It consists of a styrofoam box, a board, a plastic plate, and ten bar magnets. We recycled a styrofoam package box and modified it by cutting (see Fig. 1). We also prepared a board, fixed eight bar magnets on it, and covered these with a plastic
, lf'"i;
Fig. 2. Final position of the mouse in the restrainer. The mouse is secured to the magnet board, so that it can not move. E is a centrifuge tube (15 ml).
plate using scotch tape (Fig. 1). The board was put into the remodeled box, and tilted at an angle of 50 o with the base of the box (Fig, 2). Two bar magnets were covered with Time Tape. The device is operated as follows. (1) A B A L B / c mouse is taken by the tail, placed on a wire basket, and the back skin is picked up with the operator's thumb and first finger. (2) The mouse is turned on the magnet board so that its stomach is turned towards the operator. (3) Two taped bar magnets secure the mouse's tail and back skin to the magnet board. (4) A centrifuge tube is placed between the box wall and the board. The operator inserts a sterile intravenous needle into the mouse's abdominal cavity, and ascitic fluid is drained through a tuberculin syringe into the tube. (5) Immediately after collection of the fluid, the mouse is released from the magnets and put back in its cage. The device is useful for mice weighing even more than 40 g, in which case we secure each rear leg instead of the tail with two bar magnets. Sometimes, we collect ascitic fluids from 30 to 40 mice with our device in a day without any finger fatigue.
References Boggs, S.S. (1978) Stand for mouse holder. Lab. Anim. Sci. 28, 98. Furner, R.L. and Mellet, L.B. (1975) Mouse restraining chamber for tail-vein injection. Lab. Anim. Sci. 25, 648. Hasegawa, N. and San Clemente, C.L. (1977) Simple mouse restrainer for unassisted subcutaneous injections. Dev. Ind. Microbiol. 20, 791. Oda, M. and Miranda, Jr., G. (1977) A simple mouse restrainer. Lab. Anim. Sci. 27, 276. Rice, D.P. and Kettere, D.J. (1977) Restrainer and cell for dermal dosing of small laboratory animals. Lab. Anim. Sci. 27, 72.
295
Elsevier JIM05489
Letter to the editors
Mouse restrainer for collection of ascitic fluid including monoclonal antibody Noriko Hasegawa and Tsuneya Ohno Department of Microbiology I, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 25.8, Nishi-Shinbashi, 3 Chome, Minato-Kt~ Tokyo 105, Japan (Received 3 November 1989, accepted 7 November 1989)
Some of them are concerned with the study of percutaneous absorption of chemicals (Rice and Kettere, 1977), mouse tail vein injection (Furner and Mellet, 1975; Boggs, 1978), and mouse sub-
Dear Editors, Many researchers have developed various kinds of restraining devices for small laboratory animals.
,¢
JJj J itl c
1 f
8
Fig. 1. A styrofoam package box was modified by cutting (.4). A ' is the section, a, b, c, and d are 30 cm, 24 cm, 6 cm, and 10 cm, respectively. Eight bar magnets (C) and a plastic plate ( D ) were fixed on the board (B) with scotch tape. Letters e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, and m are 40 cm, 15 cm, 1.5 cm, 16 cm, 2.5 cm, 11 cm, 24 cm, 10 cm, and 1 cm, respectively.
Correspondence to: N. Hasegawa, Department of Microbiology I, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 25-8, NishiShinbashi, 3 Chome, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 105, Japan. 0022-1759/90/$03.50 © 1990 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (Biomedical Division)
296 cutaneous injection (Hasegawa and San Clemente, 1977; Oda and Miranda, 1977). However, we need a new type of restraining device for collecting ascitic fluid from the peritoneal cavity of mice for the study of monoclonal antibodies. In our laboratory, ascitic fluid is collected from mice almost every day. We restrain a mouse in our left hand, pick up its neck between the thumb and the first finger, put the middle finger under its back, and press its tail on the palm of our hand with the third finger and little finger. Then we insert a needle into the peritoneal cavity with our right hand, and drain the fluid through a syringe into a tube. But the hand restraining method is too hard for the fingers to collect fluids from more than only a few mice, while sometimes we have to collect them from more than 30 mice in one day. To avoid finger fatigue we invented a simple mouse restraining device for collecting ascitic fluid. It consists of a styrofoam box, a board, a plastic plate, and ten bar magnets. We recycled a styrofoam package box and modified it by cutting (see Fig. 1). We also prepared a board, fixed eight bar magnets on it, and covered these with a plastic
, lf'"i;
Fig. 2. Final position of the mouse in the restrainer. The mouse is secured to the magnet board, so that it can not move. E is a centrifuge tube (15 ml).
plate using scotch tape (Fig. 1). The board was put into the remodeled box, and tilted at an angle of 50 o with the base of the box (Fig, 2). Two bar magnets were covered with Time Tape. The device is operated as follows. (1) A B A L B / c mouse is taken by the tail, placed on a wire basket, and the back skin is picked up with the operator's thumb and first finger. (2) The mouse is turned on the magnet board so that its stomach is turned towards the operator. (3) Two taped bar magnets secure the mouse's tail and back skin to the magnet board. (4) A centrifuge tube is placed between the box wall and the board. The operator inserts a sterile intravenous needle into the mouse's abdominal cavity, and ascitic fluid is drained through a tuberculin syringe into the tube. (5) Immediately after collection of the fluid, the mouse is released from the magnets and put back in its cage. The device is useful for mice weighing even more than 40 g, in which case we secure each rear leg instead of the tail with two bar magnets. Sometimes, we collect ascitic fluids from 30 to 40 mice with our device in a day without any finger fatigue.
References Boggs, S.S. (1978) Stand for mouse holder. Lab. Anim. Sci. 28, 98. Furner, R.L. and Mellet, L.B. (1975) Mouse restraining chamber for tail-vein injection. Lab. Anim. Sci. 25, 648. Hasegawa, N. and San Clemente, C.L. (1977) Simple mouse restrainer for unassisted subcutaneous injections. Dev. Ind. Microbiol. 20, 791. Oda, M. and Miranda, Jr., G. (1977) A simple mouse restrainer. Lab. Anim. Sci. 27, 276. Rice, D.P. and Kettere, D.J. (1977) Restrainer and cell for dermal dosing of small laboratory animals. Lab. Anim. Sci. 27, 72.