Figure 5
Within-model comparisons of distress using the variables body weight, burrowing activity, and the distress score, represented as the RELSAmax metric. The red line denotes the maximally experienced severity in the telemetry experiment of laboratory A (reference line), also on the RELSA scale. In each animal model, the distress was assessed between treatment groups. The panels show PDA (A), pancreatitis (B), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) (C), and the cholestasis (BDL) model (D)—always in comparison to the reference level. Distinct treatments with drugs (CHC/Met, Gal/Met, miRNA-21 inh., MCC950) or treatment with appropriate vehicle controls (V) are indicated. The 95% confidence intervals in all treatment groups remain below the reference line, indicating no evidence that any analyzed treatment has a higher severity than the surgery model. The Kruskal–Wallis test revealed a significant difference between the treatment groups only in panel (A) (χ2 = 16.12, df = 4, p-value = 0.003), more specifically between PDA + Gal/Met and Tel + PDA (*padj = 0.021). The graphs depict the RELSAmax values obtained from individual RELSA analyses, the bootstrapped median estimators, and the 95% confidence intervals. (A) PDA + V (CHC/Met) n = 7, PDA + CHC/Met n = 7, PDA + V (Gal/Met) n = 5, PDA + Gal/Met n = 7, Tel + PDA n = 7; (B) Panc + CR (miRNA-21 inh.) n = 8, Panc + miRNA-21 inh. n = 8; (C) CCl4 + V (MCC950) n = 9, CCl4 + MCC950 n = 13; (D) BDL + V (MCC950) n = 16, BDL + MCC950 n = 14.
