J Pharm Pharmacogn Res 2(Suppl. 1): S17, 2014
Special supplement with the abstract book of LATINFARMA 2013
Oral Communication
CO 033: USING VIDEOS AND PLASTINATED MURINE MODELS FOR TRAINING
Streber ML, Ramirez MA.
Abstract
Our training program is based in Mexican Norm NOM-062-ZOO-1999, one of the species used as a requirement are small rodents. Most of times, students have different animal experience and different levels of manual skills. We refined this program using classroom presentations, a training video in Spanish and also a plastinated murine model. We used 30 adult nude mice, no longer needed as reproducers, they were euthanized by CO2, internal organs were removed, and cotton balls were placed inside. The bodies including, head and skin or the skeleton were fixed by immersion in 10% buffered formalin. After several weeks of fixation, bodies were washed with tap water and allowed to dry with paper towels. Cotton balls were removed. Immediately, the bodies were placed in a glass jar over a lake of acetone. After two changes, the bodies were immersed in glycerin. The process was finalized when the skin was soft and translucid. Plastinated nude mice were used for learning handling and also different routes of administration (ocular, per os, IP, IM, SC), specially because the nu/nu strain is very expensive and sensitive. Also, the murine models could be used to learn blood sample taking and tissue sampling. Each plastinated mouse has a soft consistence, no bad odor, and could be re-used as many times as student needs. Total length of course: 25 hr. Each wet lab: 4 h, composed of 15 students. Survey questions were tested before and after training. The learning curve using the video, plastinated models and anesthetized animals, was reduced. The students felt comfortable to have the opportunity to learn a lot in a short period of time and to have the experience before using live un-anesthetized animals. This format has the potential to improve animal welfare, and promote high quality research, avoiding accidents like bites and harming animals.