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Development and use of a single-animal whole-body system for inhalation exposure

Lab Animal volume 37, pages 33–40 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Inhalation exposure studies, in which test subjects are fully or partially immersed in an atmosphere containing a compound of interest, are usually carried out using one of two possible exposure systems: large whole-body chambers or systems that expose only the animal's nose or head. Whole-body chambers may require large quantities of test compound, which can pose a problem if the chemical is expensive or available in limited quantities. Nose- or head-only systems can help conserve test compound but may cause stress or injury to animals. To address these concerns, the authors developed an exposure system consisting of small single-animal whole-body chambers. They exposed 80 mice and 80 rats to five test compounds at various concentrations. Though the system was labor-intensive for animal care technicians, it effectively exposed animals to precise chemical doses without causing adverse effects, using less test compound than would have been required in a conventional whole-body chamber.

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Figure 1: Side view of a SAWB exposure chamber.
Figure 2: The SAWB exposure system.
Figure 3: Schematic of the air flow in the SAWB exposure system, showing the air supply and exhaust manifolds.
Figure 4: Daily average test compound concentration.
Figure 5: Mouse body weight.
Figure 6: Rat body weight.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Russell Thomas, principal investigator for this study, and Darol Dodd for valuable discussion. We also acknowledge the hard work of members of the animal care group: Kathy A. Bragg, Carol Bobbitt, Timothy Shepard, Steven Butler, Lisa Hubbard and Joseph Lopez, and members of the Inhalation Exposure Facility, Marianne W. Marshall, Carl U. Parkinson and Kay C. Roberts. Funding for this study came from Honeywell, Inc. (Morristown, NJ), and from the Long Range Research Initiative of the American Chemistry Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology Centers for Health Research, PO Box 12137, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

    Brian A. Wong,  Paul W. Ross &  R. Arden James

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  1. Brian A. Wong
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  2. Paul W. Ross
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  3. R. Arden James
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brian A. Wong.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Wong, B., Ross, P. & James, R. Development and use of a single-animal whole-body system for inhalation exposure. Lab Anim 37, 33–40 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0108-33

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