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Key Insights | Applications of Animal Energy Metabolism Monitoring Systems

Introduction:

The experimental animal energy metabolism measurement system, together with its accompanying animal behavior observation and analysis tools, is widely employed across numerous research areas in the biopharmaceutical field. Its precise measurement data and versatile, customizable experimental designs offer researchers greater flexibility and expanded possibilities.

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Introducing small animal housing cages into the energy metabolism monitoring system aims to enable the animals to live in a familiar, stress-free environment and undergo energy‑metabolism assessments. This not only enhances compliance with animal welfare standards but also ensures the consistency and reproducibility of experimental results.

Animal Energy Metabolism Monitoring System It is a highly flexible and adaptable modular platform that, through a single software interface, can simultaneously control various functional modules within the animal housing cage. These modules include: respiratory‑entropy metabolic monitoring, environmental temperature control, food and body‑weight monitoring, urine and feces analysis, voluntary activity and training, learning and memory assessment, and physiological telemetry monitoring, among others.

The multifunctional metabolic analysis system is primarily designed to monitor, record, and analyze the metabolic status of small animals. The TSE Phenomaster is equipped with two types of cages—standard housing cages and metabolic cages—tailored for rats and mice, respectively, with each cage set capable of simultaneously monitoring the metabolism of up to 12 animals. The standard housing cage environment is used to assess animal behavior under non‑biased, stress‑free conditions; metabolic parameters are measured indirectly through the assessment of heat production, oxygen consumption, and carbon dioxide output, as well as the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and energy expenditure. Water intake and food consumption are monitored by… High-precision sensor Measurement; motion through Infrared beam frame Measurements include total activity, locomotion, fine motor activities, and standing. The metabolic cage is equipped with functions for separating and collecting urine and feces.

 

Animal energy metabolism monitoring systems have a wide range of applications, including research areas such as animal physiological ecology, behavioral ecology, laboratory animal science, pharmacology, ecotoxicology, and biomedicine.

By monitoring and analyzing the metabolism of small animals, researchers can conduct studies such as validating animal phenotypes, evaluating drug safety, and developing therapeutics for chronic metabolic diseases.

 

 
 

Case One: Phenotype Validation of Gene-Edited Animals

 

 

In 2019, Christina Gougoula and colleagues published an article in PLOS ONE titled “Metabolic and behavioral parameters of mice with reduced expression of Syndecan-1,” investigating metabolic and behavioral changes in Sdc1+/- knockout mice. To comprehensively analyze metabolic profiles, the authors employed the PhenoMaster system to continuously and non-invasively monitor the mice’s food and water intake, energy expenditure, and locomotor activity. Studies have shown that in Sdc1+/- knockout mice, food and water intake are increased, while energy expenditure is also elevated, resulting in a phenotype characterized by weight loss.

 

Studies by Malgorzata Cyranka et al. have shown that Abcc5−/− mice exhibit reduced body fat and elevated circulating levels of GLP‑1. Energy expenditure was assessed using PhenoMaster cages, in conjunction with a small-animal body composition analyzer to measure fat mass. In Abcc5−/− mice, the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) did not differ significantly between sexes, and energy utilization did not shift from carbohydrates (with a standard RER of 0.9–1.0) to fats (RER = 0.7).

 

 

Case Study 2: Drug Safety Research

 

Gwang-Ho Kim and Sun Shin Yi investigated the pharmacological effects and adverse reactions of chronic oral administration of passionflower extract, measuring oxygen consumption (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), and food intake in mice over a 7-day period. Through metabolic assays, the authors observed no abnormal metabolic phenotypes or behavioral changes, confirming that passionflower extract exerts only a sleep‑inducing effect and does not elicit any adverse behavioral or metabolic disturbances in the animal model.

 

 

Case Study 3: Obesity Research

Obesity‑related chronic metabolic syndromes, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, are among the most prevalent conditions today, with metabolic dysregulation often serving as a key driver of obesity. Body fat analysis and energy measurements using metabolic cages are standard approaches in animal studies. In 2021, Taylor Landry and colleagues investigated α‑klotho, a novel effector protein in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, further elucidating its role in regulating energy balance in both humans and mice. The authors employed TSE PhenoMaster metabolic cages for energy monitoring, demonstrating that α‑klotho improves energy balance by increasing daily energy expenditure. To obtain comprehensive data, they integrated an MRI‑based body composition analysis system to assess the animals’ body composition.

 

Aniphe BioLab has conducted extensive, long-term research in the field of energy metabolism. Its platform can simultaneously employ a small-animal body composition analyzer and a TSE PhenoMaster metabolic cage to precisely assess an animal’s fat, water, and energy metabolism, providing researchers with more comprehensive and reliable experimental data.

 

References:

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219604

DOI: 10.1186/s42826-019-0034-9

DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2020.101136

 

For more specialized and cutting-edge scientific research insights, look no further than Aniphe BioLab!

 

 

 

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