Cd hairless rats

We used 9–10 weeks old CD hairless rats (Charles River Laboratories Inc., San Diego, CA, n=9). These rats have a normal immune system, but phenotypically minimal hair, obviating the need for repeated depilation ^{31 (link)}. Six rats received intraperitoneal (IP) injection of 65 mg/kg streptozotocin (Enzo Lifesciences) to induce diabetes ³² . After confirmation of diabetes (blood glucose >350 mg/dl for three consecutive days), rats received a slow-release insulin implant (Linshin CA, Canada) to control blood glucose within 200–400 mg/dL. Insulin was given to prevent hyperglycemic weight loss. Rats losing 20% or more of their initial body weight were sacrificed in compliance with IACUC protocol. Non-diabetic rats received an IP injection of saline. Depilation cream was topically applied to the dorsal side of each rat (Nair, Church and Dwight, Princeton, NJ) three days before imaging began.
Prior to the experiment, animals were placed in a custom plexiglas chamber for administration of 2–5% isoflurane gas. For imaging and biopsy, 2% isoflurane was administered using a nose cone. At the completion of imaging day 28, rats were euthanized with IP injection of sodium pentobarbital (150 mg/kg).

This in vivo research was conducted with the approval of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the University of Michigan. CD hairless rats (Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington MA) were used in this study. The rats were anesthetized via intraperitoneal injection of ketamine (91 mg/kg) plus xylazine (9 mg/kg). For intravenous injections and infusion of MB contrast agent, a 24 gauge cannula was inserted into a tail vein. The anesthetized rats were mounted on a plastic holder with the left side toward the board. This mount was then placed vertically in a water bath filled with 38°C degassed water for ultrasound scanning of the right side. This method allows flexible aiming of the ultrasound probe and maintains the animal temperature. Shaving was not needed for preparation, because the rats were nearly hairless.

Forty-eight male CD Hairless rats (Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, MA, USA) with a mean weight of 301 ± 36 g were used in this study. The study was conducted with the approval of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. The rats were anesthetized via intraperitoneal injection of ketamine (91 mg/kg) plus xylazine (9 mg/kg). For intravenous infusion of MB contrast agent, a 24-gauge cannula was inserted into a tail vein. Rats were checked for heart rate and SpO₂, which averaged 288 ± 23 beats per minute and 79 ± 5 %, respectively.