A novel whole-body thermal stress test for monitoring cardiovascular responses in guinea pigs

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Stress tests are frequently employed to expose early signs of cardiovascular dysfunction or disease and can be employed, for example, in the context of preterm birth. We aimed to establish a safe and effective thermal stress test to examine cardiovascular function. Guinea pigs were anaesthetized using a 0.8% isoflurane, 70% N2O mix. ECG, non-invasive blood pressure, laser Doppler flowmetry, respiratory rate, and an array of skin and rectal thermistors were applied. A physiologically relevant heating and a cooling thermal stress test was developed. Upper and lower thermal limits for core body temperature were set at 41.5 OC and 34 OC, for the safe recovery of animals. This protocol therefore presents a viable thermal stress test for use in guinea pig models of health and disease that facilitates exploration of whole-system cardiovascular function.

Automated summary

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Stress tests are used to detect early signs of cardiovascular dysfunction or disease, such as in preterm birth cases. This study aimed to establish a safe and effective thermal stress test to assess cardiovascular function. Guinea pigs were anesthetized and various measurements were taken. A thermal stress test was developed with upper and lower temperature limits to ensure animal safety. This protocol provides a viable method for studying cardiovascular function in guinea pig models of health and disease.