An adjustable current swimming pool for the evaluation of endurance
capacity of mice.
Matsumoto, Keitaro, Kengo Ishihara, Kazunori Tanaka*, Kazuo Inoue, and
Tohru Fushiki.
Laboratory of Nutritional Chemistry, Department of Food Science and
Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-01,
Japan, ealth Science Laboratory, Nisshin Central Research Institute,
Nisshin Food Products Co., Kusatsu, Shiga 525, Japan, Tel. 81-75-753
-6261, Fax. 81-75-753-6264
APStracts 3:0275A, 1996.
A new forced swimming apparatus for determining maximum swimming time
in mice was devised for use in the evaluation of the endurance
capacity of Std ddY and CDF1 mice following various diet and drug
treatments.. With the apparatus, a water current is generated by
circulating water with a pump in a swimming pool. A spout and suction
slit were contrived to generate a constant current while the strength
of the current is regulated by a valve. The decrease of the leg
kicking intervals of mice accompanying increase in the current speed
confirmed that the work load is adjustable by regulation of the
current speed. Compared to the number of fore limb strokes, that of
hind limb kicks was greater. The swimming time until fatigue was
observed to decrease with increasing current speed in the two strains
of mice. As biochemical indices, the blood lactate and muscle
glycogen levels corroborated the correlation between current speed
and increase in work load. These results indicate that the apparatus
employed in the present study is suitable for the evaluation of the
endurance capacity of mice, and that it is useful for detecting the
effects of dietary differences and drug pretreatments on this
capacity.
Received 5 January 1996; accepted in final form 30 May 1996.
APS Manuscript Number A19-6.
Article publication pending Journal of Applied Physiology.
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 28 June 96