Variability of blood biochemical parameters and establishment of reference intervals in preclinical studies. Part 7: guinea pig
The guinea pig is a significant model in preclinical studies because of its optimal body size, wide commercial availability; similarity to humans in anatomical, immunological and biochemical features. The animals in question are widely used for research in allergology and immunology, infectious and cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, and arthritis. In addition, guinea pig metabolism of lipids, cholesterol and glucose is similar to that of humans. Due to the high involvement of these animals in preclinical studies and the possibility of modeling a large number of pathological conditions, an important point is to monitor animal health, assess the condition of internal organs and information on metabolism - the metabolism of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates. The aim of this study was to establish the reference intervals of some biochemical parameters of guinea pig blood serum. These parameters are required in preclinical studies for monitoring animal health, assessing the presence/absence of drift of the studied parameters, comparing the obtained values with human values, and evaluating model pathology. To form the reference intervals we used data obtained from intact healthy animals in December 2021 - April 2022 at «Home of Pharmacy». All experiments performed were approved by the bioethics commission. The following parameters were determined in the blood serum of the animals on an automatic biochemical analyzer Rendom Access A-25 using appropriate test kits: creatinine, urea, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins, α-amylase, triglycerides, total protein, albumin, glucose, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase and total bilirubin. Based on the total protein content of each animal, the number of globulins was determined and the guinea pig albumin/globulin ratio was calculated. When comparing the obtained and literature data, it was shown that the calculated in the «Home of Pharmacy» reference values of biochemical parameters of animals in general correlate with those of other research centers and laboratories, which confirms their representativeness. When comparing the obtained values of biochemical blood parameters of guinea pigs with human data, it was shown that some values are similar to each other - creatinine, lactate dehydrogenase, globulins. Alkaline phosphatase, cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins, α-amylase, triglycerides, total bilirubin and glucose differ in the value of the reference range. Urea, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were higher in animals than in humans. These differences need to be taken into account in further preclinical studies for a more accurate analysis of the results obtained.