Treadmill Exercise Test with VO2 Measurement
Objective: Measure basal and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2b and VO2max) to assess aerobic capacity and exercise capacity in mice using forced progressive treadmill exercise
Gather these items before starting the experiment. Check off items as you prepare.
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Protocol Steps
Assess spontaneous locomotor activity
Place mice in free wheel exercise apparatus and measure spontaneous locomotor activity as a baseline assessment of exercise capacity
Note: Performed on Rev-erb-α−/− mice and wild-type littermate controls
View evidence from paper
“Rev-erb-α−deficient (Rev-erb-α−/−) mice exhibited markedly reduced spontaneous locomotor activity in a free wheel exercise compared to wild-type littermates”
Measure basal oxygen consumption (VO2b)
Measure oxygen consumption at rest to establish baseline aerobic capacity before exercise
Note: VO2b measured at rest showed no significant difference between genotypes
View evidence from paper
“VO2b measured at rest was not significantly different between the two genotypes”
Conduct forced progressive treadmill exercise
Subject mice to forced progressive treadmill exercise with increasing intensity until exhaustion to measure maximal oxygen consumption
Note: Progressive protocol with intensity increasing until mice reach exhaustion
View evidence from paper
“We next assessed basal (VO2b) and maximal (VO2max) oxygen consumption, reflecting aerobic capacity, by submitting Rev-erb-α−/− mice to a forced, progressive treadmill exercise.”
Measure maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max)
Record oxygen consumption at exhaustion during the progressive treadmill exercise test
Note: VO2max was significantly lower in Rev-erb-α−/− mice compared to wild-type, resulting in >60% reduced aerobic capacity
View evidence from paper
“VO2max measured at exhaustion was significantly lower in Rev-erb-α−/− mice, resulting in a >60% reduced aerobic capacity during exercise.”
Conduct standard endurance exercise test
Perform endurance exercise test at 70% of each mouse's respective VO2max to assess exercise duration and distance capacity
Note: 50% of Rev-erb-α−/− mice stopped running within 50 min compared to only 20% of wild-type mice
View evidence from paper
“In a standard endurance exercise test performed at 70% of their respective VO2max, 50% of Rev-erb-α−/− mice, compared to only 20% of the wild-type mice, stopped running within 50 min”
Record running time and distance
Measure and record total running time and distance covered during the endurance exercise test
Note: Rev-erb-α−/− mice ran significantly shorter time and distance than wild-type littermates
View evidence from paper
“Rev-erb-α−/− mice ran for a significantly shorter time and distance than their wild-type littermates”