Anesthesia and Analgesia in Laboratory Animals Flashcards

What is the primary rationale for providing adequate analgesia to laboratory animals undergoing painful procedures?

Answer: To relieve suffering as an ethical obligation and preserve physiological homeostasis that affects data quality

Analgesia addresses both the ethical duty to minimize animal suffering and the scientific need for controlled physiological conditions, since uncontrolled pain alters hormones, immune function, and behavior.

Which class of analgesics primarily reduces pain by inhibiting cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes and prostaglandin synthesis?

Answer: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

NSAIDs such as meloxicam and carprofen inhibit COX enzymes, blocking prostaglandin production and thereby reducing inflammation, fever, and pain at the peripheral and central level.

Which validated tool is used to assess pain in mice based on facial action units?

Answer: Mouse Grimace Scale (MGS)

The Mouse Grimace Scale scores five facial action units—orbital tightening, nose bulge, cheek bulge, ear position, and whisker change—to provide a validated measure of spontaneous pain in mice.

Buprenorphine is pharmacologically classified as which type of opioid receptor ligand?

Answer: Partial mu-opioid receptor agonist

Buprenorphine is a partial mu-opioid receptor agonist that provides effective analgesia with a ceiling effect on respiratory depression, making it safer than full agonists like morphine at typical analgesic doses.

What does the 'Refinement' component of the 3Rs principle specifically address in the context of animal research?

Answer: Improving procedures to minimize pain, distress, and suffering in animals used

Refinement focuses on modifying procedures and husbandry practices to minimize pain, suffering, and distress, including use of appropriate anesthesia, analgesia, and humane endpoints.

What is the key advantage of a pre-emptive analgesic approach compared to treating pain after it develops?

Answer: It prevents central sensitization and reduces the overall analgesic requirement

Administering analgesics before the painful stimulus prevents wind-up and central sensitization of pain pathways, resulting in superior pain control with potentially lower total drug doses.

Which combination of assessments provides the most comprehensive pain evaluation in laboratory rodents?

Answer: Multiple parameters including grimace scales, posture, activity level, food/water intake, and body weight

Comprehensive pain assessment requires multiple behavioral and physiological parameters because no single measure reliably captures all dimensions of pain in rodents.