Chronic Feeding Studies
Sub-chronic or chronic feeding studies are required to evaluate fully the effects of novel antiobesity drugs on body weight and food and water intake. These feeding studies can be performed in normal rats or mice or in overweight or obese animals. Drugs can be given by a variety or routes (including sustained infusion via sc implanted osmotic minipumps) either alone or in combination to investigate whether the effects of two drugs on body weight and food intake are additive or synergistic in nature.
Measures normally include daily body weight and food and water intake, change in body weight per week and overall, average daily food and water intakes per week and overall and cumulative food and water intake on each day of treatment. These parameters can also be measured during drug withdrawal when it is important to show that rebound increases in body weight, above control levels, do not occur.
Sub-chronic and chronic feeding studies are customised to meet the requirements of each client and can include the following options:
- Glucose challenge tests at key stages to assess effects of drug on glycaemic control Read more
- Blood-sampling before, during and after studies to measure plasma levels of a variety of metabolic parameters and biomarkers Read more
- Blood and tissue-sampling for pharmacokinetic analysis (out of house)
- Measurement of blood pressure (rats and mice)
- Urinary glucose excretion and faecal fat content
- Pancreatic insulin levels
- Liver total cholesterol and triglyceride levels
- Removal and weighing of various tissues including fat pads, muscle, stomachs (and stomach contents), the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, liver and kidneys
- Body composition analysis Read more
- Ex vivo binding to confirm brain penetration/site of action Read more
- Necropsy and gross post mortem analysis
- Preparation of tissues for histology and routine immunohistochemical and histological staining
