Forced Swim Test
Objective: Measure depression-like behavior by assessing immobility time in a water tank as part of a chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) depression model
This is a Forced Swim Test protocol using mouse as the model organism. The procedure involves 5 procedural steps, 1 equipment items, 4 materials. Extracted from a 2022 paper published in Journal of Neuroinflammation.
Model and subjects
mouse • Not specified • unknown • Not specified • Not specified
Study window
~30 minute study window | ~1 hours hands-on
Core workflow
Chronic Social Defeat Stress (CSDS) Model Implementation • Inhibitor Injection - Pre-treatment • EDA Treatment Administration
Primary readouts
- Immobility time in forced swim test
- Depression-like behavior
- Anxiety-like behavior (from EPM and OFT)
- Cognitive behavior (from NOR)
Key equipment and reagents
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Protocol Steps
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Chronic Social Defeat Stress (CSDS) Model Implementation
Perform chronic social defeat stress protocol on mice to establish depression model
Note: This is the baseline stress induction before behavioral testing
View evidence from paper
“A chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) depression model was performed to explore whether EDA could produce antidepressant effects”
Inhibitor Injection - Pre-treatment
Inject EX527 (Sirt1 inhibitor) and ML385 (Nrf2 inhibitor) intraperitoneally 30 minutes before EDA injection
Note: Injections performed daily
View evidence from paper
“EX527, a Sirt1 inhibitor and ML385, a Nrf2 inhibitor were injected intraperitoneally 30 min before EDA injection daily”
EDA Treatment Administration
Administer EDA injection daily following inhibitor pre-treatment
Note: Administered after 30 minute interval from inhibitor injection
View evidence from paper
“EX527, a Sirt1 inhibitor and ML385, a Nrf2 inhibitor were injected intraperitoneally 30 min before EDA injection daily”
Forced Swim Test (FST) Performance
Place mouse in water tank and measure immobility time to assess depression-like behavior
Note: One of multiple behavioral tests performed to examine depressive behavior
View evidence from paper
“Behaviors tests were carried out to examine depressive, anxiety-like and cognitive behaviors including social interaction (SI) test, sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT), elevated plus maze (EPM), novel object recognition (NOR), tail suspension test (TST) and forced swim test (FST)”
Gpx4 Knockdown Experiments
Perform adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector containing miRNAi (Gpx4)–EGFP infusion to knockdown Gpx4 expression in CSDS mice receiving EDA treatment
Note: Separate experimental group to determine effects of Gpx4 on treatment outcomes
View evidence from paper
“Knockdown experiments were performed to determine the effects of Gpx4 on CSDS mice with EDA treatment by an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector containing miRNAi (Gpx4)–EGFP infusion”