Generalized Parameters of Deprivation by Water and Food Restriction in Male Wistar Rats

Abstract

In a search for elements that World improve derivation procedures in its role as a crtical experimental variable, the present study aimed to evaluate the generality of growth curves of male Wistar rats exposed or not to water and food restrictions. Rats were daily weighed through days 2 to 222 of life, including periods of programmed interruptions in the restriction procedure. Results showed a positive though slow acceleration of body weight during the first month after birth, followed by a relatively more rapid increase tending to asymptotic values. As the restriction started, body weigth gradually declined. Interreptions in the restriction procedure resulted in increased body weight, which was more pronounced after the second interruption. In addition, after each interruption a greater resistance to body weight loss was observed. Theses data replicate Tomanari et al. (2003), and therefore strongly point to the generality of patterns that describe the rat´s body weight acquisition across its growth, with and without food or water restriction. During a period that typically corresponds to a long-term experiment in Behavior Analysis.