The OxyletPro system is a modular system allowing the integration of respiratory metabolism (O2 consumption /CO2 production). Panlab provides a complete Oxylet solution enabling forced exercise training in a treadmill combined with indirect calorimetry in rodents.
Basically, Panlab Treadmill apparatus consists of a rolling belt with adjustable speed (up to 150 cm/s) and slope (from -25 to 25 degrees) and a control Unit. The rolling belt is built with especially selected materials to guarantee the best performance under conditions of intensive use and the minimum operations of maintenance, as well as simplicity in keeping it clean. The lanes (corridors of activity for the animal) have sufficient width for the subject to correct its errors in coordination, thereby allowing an exact measurement of the fatigue without deficiencies in motor coordination.
The treadmill unit controls the speed of the belt, shows measured data in its touchscreen display and provides electrical shock to the grid. The electrical shock supplied by the grid is of constant intensity (from 0 to 2 mA), that is, the current which circulates through the animal (and therefore its effect) only depends on the value of the mA chosen and not of the subject (quantity of body mass in contact with the bars, perspiration, etc.)
For metabolism studies, the treadmill is provided with an air isolated enclosure. The LE400 air flow control unit allows a fine regulation of the air flow inside the treadmill and sends the air to the LE450 gas analyzer for O2/CO2 gas concentrations determination.
The associated METABOLISM software transfers the data from the treadmill control unit and the gas analyzer to a PC computer using RS232/USB outputs for data storage and further analysis.
NOTE: the calibration tanks are not provided with the system and should be purchased separately by the user (see Specifications tab).
The Thermal Gradient Test has been described in Moqrich et al. 2005, and is one of the very few thermal nociception tests to be operator independent on freely moving rodents (mice and rat). A continuous temperature gradient (5 to 55°C) is established over a 120 cm long base plate, on which the animal is free to walk. After the exploration period the rodent (mouse or rat) shows a distinct zone preference, or comfort zone.
Bioseb has defined an automated instrument for your research on analgesia and nociception (especially suitable for research on alodynia), with a temperature gradient stable over the surface and over time, allowing to identify the preferred temperature zone. Two instruments models will test independently and simultaneously 2 mice or small rats (1 adult rat).
The accompanying software, coupled to a video camera, displays for each animal the time spent per time period in each temperature zone, together with overall travelled distance.
The encrypted data and the video images are recorded synchronously in real time during the nociception experiments. This allows the operator to replay and check the animal behaviour at any time and remotely, and also to comply with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP).
This behavioral assay will allow monitoring of temperature preferences, nociceptive thresholds and investigate the role of a given gene or compound on these thresholds.