Protocol to minimize the confounding effect of cold stress on socially isolated mice using thermoneutral housing

• Published in: STAR protocols Vol. 4; no. 3; p. 102533
• Main Authors: Appana, Bhavya, Queen, Nicholas J., Cao, Lei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 15.09.2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Body Weight; Cold-Shock Response; Health Sciences; Housing, Animal; Metabolism; Mice; Model Organisms; Protocol; Systems Biology; Temperature; Model Organisms; Metabolism; Systems Biology; Health Sciences
• ISSN: 2666-1667; 2666-1667
• DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102533

Social isolation, a risk factor for mortality and various disease states, in mice remains poorly understood, due in part to under-consideration of housing temperature and the murine thermoneutral zone. Here, we present a housing protocol to minimize the confounding effect of chronic cold stress on socially isolated mice that are unable to socially thermoregulate. We describe steps for allocating mice to group housing or social isolation conditions, housing mice in thermoneutral cabinets, feeding mice with high-fat diet, and measuring body weight, food intake, and metabolic indicators. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Queen et al..1 [Display omitted] •Under-consideration of temperature interferes with murine social isolation experiments•Steps for setting up a thermoneutral cabinet to control temperature and humidity levels•Maintenance care to minimize confounding variables•Measurement of metabolic function to assess effect of social isolation Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics. Social isolation, a risk factor for mortality and various disease states, in mice remains poorly understood, due in part to under-consideration of housing temperature and the murine thermoneutral zone. Here, we present a housing protocol to minimize the confounding effect of chronic cold stress on socially isolated mice that are unable to socially thermoregulate. We describe steps for allocating mice to group housing or social isolation conditions, housing mice in thermoneutral cabinets, feeding mice with high-fat diet, and measuring body weight, food intake, and metabolic indicators.