A Modified Carbon Monoxide Breath Test for Measuring Erythrocyte Lifespan in Small Animals

This study was to develop a CO breath test for RBC lifespan estimation of small animals. The ribavirin induced hemolysis rabbit models were placed individually in a closed rebreath cage and air samples were collected for measurement of CO concentration. RBC lifespan was calculated from accumulated C...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yong-Jian Ma, Hou-De Zhang, Yong-Qiang Ji, Guo-Liang Zhu, Jia-Liang Huang, Li-Tao Du, Ping Cao, De-Yue Zang, Ji-Hui Du, Rong Li, Lei Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2016-01-01
Series:BioMed Research International
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/7173156
Description
Summary:This study was to develop a CO breath test for RBC lifespan estimation of small animals. The ribavirin induced hemolysis rabbit models were placed individually in a closed rebreath cage and air samples were collected for measurement of CO concentration. RBC lifespan was calculated from accumulated CO, blood volume, and hemoglobin concentration data. RBC lifespan was determined in the same animals with the standard biotin-labeling method. RBC lifespan data obtained by the CO breath test method for control (CON, 49.0±5.9 d) rabbits, rabbits given 10 mg/kg·d−1 of ribavirin (RIB10, 31.0±4.0 d), and rabbits given 20 mg/kg·d−1 of ribavirin (RIB20, 25.0±2.9 d) were statistically similar (all p>0.05) to and linearly correlated (r=0.96, p<0.01) with the RBC lifespan data obtained for the same rabbits by the standard biotin-labeling method (CON, 51.0±2.7 d; RIB10, 33.0±1.3 d; and RIB20, 27.0±0.8 d). The CO breath test method takes less than 3 h to complete, whereas the standard method requires at least several weeks. In conclusion, the CO breath test method provides a simple and rapid means of estimating RBC lifespan and is feasible for use with small animal models.
ISSN:2314-6133
2314-6141