Effects of Bedding Change Frequency on Lipid Peroxidation, Antioxidant Status, and Histopathological Alterations in Rats

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of bedding change frequency on oxidative stress parameters of rats. In the experiment; animals were randomly and equally divided into 4 groups, each group consisted of 6 male rats. Group 1; bedding change every day, Group 2; bedding change once in 2 days, Group 3; bedding change once in 4 days, and Group 4; bedding change once in a week. Dust-free wood shavings were used as bedding material and the study lasted for 2 months. At the end of experimental period, MDA levels were found to be increased in blood, liver, kidney, heart, brain, and lung of groups with longer intervals of bedding change whereas GSH levels of these tissues were decreased. It was also found that SOD and CAT activities were higher in erythrocyte and lung tissues in Group 1 than the other groups. Moreover, notable histopathological alterations were observed in the tissues of longer intervals of bedding change (especially, group 3 and 4). As a result, it has been determined that long periods of bedding change in animals causes oxidative stress, tissues damages, and these alterations adversely affect the life quality of laboratory animals