Tail position affects the body temperature of rats during cold exposure in a low-energy state

Zeitschrift für vergleichende Physiologie - Tập 198 - Trang 89-95 - 2011
Yuki Uchida1, Ken Tokizawa2, Mayumi Nakamura1, Cheng-Hsien Lin2, Kei Nagashima1,2,3
1Laboratory of Integrative Physiology (Body Temperature and Fluid Laboratory), Health and Welfare, Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Japan
2Sport Sciences for the Promotion of Active Life, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Japan
3Institute of Applied Brain Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Japan

Tóm tắt

Rats place their tails underneath their body trunks when cold (tail-hiding behavior). The aim of the present study was to determine whether this behavior is necessary to maintain body temperature. Male Wistar rats were divided into ‘fed’ and ‘42-h fasting’ groups. A one-piece tail holder (8.4 cm in length) that prevented the tail-hiding behavior or a three-piece tail holder (2.8 cm in length) that allowed for the tail-hiding behavior was attached to the tails of the rats. The rats were exposed to 27°C for 180 min or to 20°C for 90 min followed by 15°C for 90 min with continuous body temperature and oxygen consumption measurements. Body temperature decreased by −1.0 ± 0.1°C at 15°C only in the rats that prevented tail-hiding behavior of the 42-h fasting group, and oxygen consumption increased at 15°C in all animals. Oxygen consumption was not different between the rats that prevented tail-hiding behavior and the rats that allowed the behavior in the fed and 42-h fasting groups under ambient conditions. These results show that the tail-hiding behavior is involved in thermoregulation in the cold in fasting rats.

Tài liệu tham khảo

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