How to Measure Blood Pressure in Mice

In this age of medical advancements, studies done with animals are a fact of life. Do you ever wonder how the blood pressure medication your doctor just prescribed is safe and effective? The answer is that it was probably tested in laboratory mice first. Many scientists and research institutions do testing that involves measuring blood pressure in mice. According to hyper.ahajournals.org, "A rat's tail is a slender appendage on which the weight of so much research in hypertension hangs." Here we will explain how to measure blood pressure in mice using the tail cuff method.

Things You'll Need

• Warming Platforms
• Infrared Thermometer
• Tail Cuff Sensor
• Restrainer
• Tubes
• Bulb Inflator
• Chart recorder or sofware designed to read the blood pressure
• Soap
• Water

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Instructions

• 1

  Make sure you have the correct environment in the room you are going to test the mice. Temperature and noise can cause stress in the mice and affect the results.

• 2

  Pick up the mice gently and identify them.

• 3

  Check the warming platforms where you will place the mice and use the infrared thermometer to make sure they have a suitable temperature. (If they are too cold, the equipment won't give a reading and may cause death. If they are too warm, the mice may suffer from stress and dehydration).

• 4

  Hook up the equipment. The tail cuff sensor must connect to the restrainer that will be on the animal warming platform. You will also need to connect the cuff to the bulb inflator with tubes designed for that purpose. Now is also a good time to connect the reading software or chart recorder that will give you the reading output.

• 5

  Now you will pick up the mice one by one, gently by the tail, and put them in the restrainer. The restrainer will have an opening on the side where the tail will be coming out of.

• 6

  Attach the cuff sensor and secure by attaching to the mouse restrainer so it won't move.

• 7

  Let the mice rest for 5 minutes before measuring their blood pressure.

• 8

  If the tail of one of the mice slips from the cuff, pause and put it back in place.

• 9

  Record the results of the reading.

• 10

  Release the mice and put them back in their cages.

• 11

  Clean all the equipment that had contact with the mice with soap and water. Do not use ammonia.