Wheel Running Exercise Test
Objective: Assessment of spontaneous locomotor activity in free wheel exercise to measure exercise capacity and running performance in mice
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Protocol Steps
Spontaneous locomotor activity assessment
Place mice in free wheel exercise apparatus and measure spontaneous running activity
Note: Rev-erb-α−/− mice exhibited markedly reduced spontaneous locomotor activity compared to wild-type littermates
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”
Basal oxygen consumption measurement
Measure basal oxygen consumption (VO2b) at rest using forced progressive treadmill exercise protocol
Note: VO2b measured at rest was not significantly different between Rev-erb-α−/− and wild-type genotypes
View evidence from paper
“VO2b measured at rest was not significantly different between the two genotypes”
Maximal oxygen consumption measurement
Measure maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) at exhaustion during forced progressive treadmill exercise
Note: VO2max was significantly lower in Rev-erb-α−/− mice, 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”
Standard endurance exercise test
Perform endurance exercise test at 70% of respective VO2max for each genotype
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”
Measure running time and distance
Record total running time and distance covered during endurance exercise test
Note: Rev-erb-α−/− mice ran for 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”