Atlanto-occipital catheterization of young rats for long-term drug delivery into the lumbar subarachnoid space combined with in vivo testing and electrophysiology in situ

Authors
O. Kopach, V. Krotov, N. Voitenko

Lab
Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, Kiev, Ukraine

Journal
Journal of Neuroscience Methods

Abstract
Background
Catheterization has been widely used in neuroscience and pain research for local drug delivery. Though different modifications were developed, the use of young animals for spinal catheterization remains limited because of a little success rate. A reliable technique is needed to catheterize young animals aimed for in vivo testing combined with spinal cord electrophysiology, often limited by animal age, to facilitate pain research.

New methods
We describe intrathecal catheterization of young rats (3-week-old) through atlanto-occipical approach for long-lasting drug delivery into the lumbar subarachnoid space. The technique represents a surgical approach of minimized invasiveness that requires PE-10 catheter and few equipment of standard laboratory use.

Results
Behavioral assessments revealed that spinal catheterization does not change peripheral sensitivity of different modalities (thermal and mechanical) and gives no rise to locomotive deficit or anxiety-like behavior in young rats. The long-term administration of genetic material (oligodeoxynucleotides given up to 4 days), examined both in vivo and in situ, produced no adverse effects on basal peripheral sensitivity, but changed the AMPA receptor-mediated currents in sensory interneurons of the spinal cord.

Comparison with existing methods
Dissimilar to already described methods, the method is designed for the use of young rats for behavioral testing in vivo and/or spinal cord electrophysiology in situ.

BIOSEB Instruments Used:
Von Frey Filaments (Bio-VF-M)