EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS

• PHARMACOLOGY is the science which deals
with study of drugs

EXPERIMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY: deals with
effect of various pharmacological agents studied
on different animal species

Aim and Objective
• Find out the therapeutic agent suitable for
human use
• Study the toxicity of the drugs
• Study the mechanism and site of action of
drugs

Laboratory animals
• Breaded and handled in laboratory
• Mice
• Rat
• Rabbit
• Guinea pig
• Rabbits

Rats

• Species: Rattus norvegicus
• Wister strain is commonly used
• Other strains –

ADVANTAGES AND CHARACTERISTICS
• 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
• pancreas are diffused therefore difficult to
produce panereactomy
• stomach, fundus and pyloric parts are clear lining
between them
• Gastric acid secretion is continuous

EXPERIMENTAL USES OF RATS
• Psychopharmacological studies
• study of analgesics and anticonvulsants
• bioassay of various hormones, such as insulin, oxytocin, vasopressin
• Study of menstrual cycle, mating behaviour and lactation
• isolated tissue pre’s
• chronic study
• Gastric acid secretion
• hepatotoxicity studies
• study on mast cells

Mice

• Swiss albino mice are commonly used species

ADVANTAGES
• Smallest
• Easy to handle
• Cheap
• Less drug required

EXPERIMENTAL USES OF MICE
• 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

Frog

• Most commonly used in
physiology, pharmacology and
toxicoloty
• Used before 200 years
• Amphibian animal safe to handle
•Cannot breed in lab

EXPERIMENTAL USES
• Isolated preparations, heart, rectus abdominis
muscle
• Drugs acting on CNS
• Drugs acting on NMJ

GUINEA PIGS ( CAVIA PORCELLUS )

• Docile (obedient) animals
• Highly susceptible to TB and anaphylaxis
• Highly sensitive to histamine, penicillin
• Required exogenous Vitamin C in diet

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

RABBITS (Lupas cuniculus)

• Docile animal
• New Zealand white strains are widely used
• it has huge caceum and long appendix
• enzyme atropine esterase is present in rabbit
liver and plasma so it can tolerate large doses
of belladona (atropine)

EXPERIMENTAL USES
• Pyrogen testing
• Bioassay of anti-diabetic, curareform drugs and sex hormones
• Screening of agents affecting capillary permeability
• Drugs used in glaucoma
• Pharmacokinetic studies
• Studies related to antifertility agents
• Isolated preparations like heart, duodenum, ileum, pre’s
• Study on local anaestetics
• Study on miotic and mydratics

GE NE RAL ANAESTHESIA FOR
LABORATORY ANIMALS

As with human subjects, general anaesthesia can
be induced by intravenous or inhalational
methods.
The intraperitoneal route is often employed in
those animals with poor veins.

Intravenous/ intraperitoneal anesthetic
• Barbiturates
Pentobarbitone, Thiopentone
• Non-barbiturate drugs
Urethane, Ketamine, phencyclidine, chloralose

• Inhalational anesthetics
– Halothane,