The Evaluation of Whole-body Plethysmography as a Semiautomated Method for Analysis of Emesis in the House Musk Shrew (Suncus murinus)

We analyzed the cisplatin-induced emetic responses of Suncus murinus by observation of both videorecorded behavior and changes in peak expiratory flow (PEF) as monitored by whole-body plethysmography. Analysis of the PEF data by use of a macro program revealed emesis-related changes in PEF. Cisplatin dose-response curves obtained by both methods showed similar emesis profiles. In addition, our PEF-based analytical method could be used to assess emesis changes induced by various other emetogens (veratrine hydrochloride, nicotine bitartrate, and copper sulfate) and confirmed the efficacy of the antiemetic drugs ondansetron, metoclopramide, and GR205171 in the cisplatin-induced emesis model. These results demonstrate that the use of whole-body plethysmography to follow changes in PEF was an effective semiautomated method of assessing emetic responses in Suncus murinus. This novel semiautomated method may provide an objective, sensitive, and efficient way to study emesis in animal models.