Blood Glucose Reference Interval in Mus musculus Mice

The analysis of the carbohydrate status of Mus musculus mice is necessary for an experimental study of embryotoxicity in an animal model because to date several studies have revealed a frequent association between disorders of glycoregulation and various congenital malformations. The objective of this study is to determine the reference intervals of glycaemia in young Mus musculus mice intended for the study of embryotoxicity. This is an experimental study carried out at the Human Embryology Laboratory of the University of Kinshasa in May 2021 on 20 mice, Mus musculus adults (10 males and 10 females), in good health, weighing 20 and 30 grams in which a dosage fasting blood glucose test was performed. The effect of gender on blood glucose was assessed and reference intervals (RI) were established using a parametric method with p < 0.05. The rules of ethics relating to the handling of laboratory animals have been respected. The fasting blood glucose values of 20 mice ranged between 62 and 135 mg/dl. Those of female mice, between 62 and 130 mg/dl with a median of 97.10 mg/dl and those of male mice, between 64 and 135 mg/dl with a median of 99.90 mg/dl. Reference ranges for fasting blood glucose in mice were 72 - 105 mg/dl, for male mice 79 - 108 mg/dl, and for female mice 69 - 102 mg/dl (p = 0.564). In conclusion, the medians of fasting glycaemia of mice as well as their reference intervals are not activated by the sex of the mice. Knowledge of normal fasting blood glucose levels secures the Mus musculus animal model for embryotoxicity studies with impaired glycoregulation.