Narver Heather L
Animal Health Care Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2012 Jan;51(1):10-7.
Physicians and veterinarians often prescribe oxytocin to treat dystocia. However, oxytocin administration to pregnant women or animals is not without risk. In the venue of laboratory animal medicine, the use of oxytocin may present confounding variables to research. Although oxytocin has been studied extensively, many of its physiologic effects and interactions with other hormones remain unclear. Investigator concerns about adverse and confounding effects of oxytocin in their research mice prompted the current review of oxytocin and its use to treat murine dystocia. Well-controlled studies of oxytocin in dystocic mice have not been conducted. However, in humans and other animals, inconsistent and adverse effects are well-documented. Limited knowledge of the complex physiologic and molecular mechanisms of action of oxytocin and scant support for the efficacy of oxytocin in dystocic mice fail to meet the standards of evidence-based veterinary medical practice. The administration of oxytocin is contraindicated in many cases of dystocia in research mice, and its use in dystocic mice may be unfounded. A brief review of oxytocin and the physiologic mechanisms of parturition are provided to support this conclusion. Alternative treatments for murine dystocia are discussed, and a holistic approach is advocated to better serve animal welfare and to safeguard the integrity of valuable research. Laboratory animal veterinarians overseeing the development of guidelines or standard operating procedures for technician or investigator treatment of dystocic mice should understand the effects of oxytocin administration in light of relevant research.
医生和兽医经常开催产素治疗难产。然而，给孕妇或动物使用催产素并非毫无风险。在实验动物医学领域，催产素的使用可能会给研究带来混杂变量。尽管催产素已得到广泛研究，但其许多生理效应以及与其他激素的相互作用仍不清楚。研究人员对催产素在其研究小鼠中产生的不良和混杂效应的担忧促使了对催产素及其用于治疗小鼠难产的现状进行综述。尚未对难产小鼠进行催产素的严格对照研究。然而，在人类和其他动物中，其不一致和不良效应已有充分记录。对催产素复杂的生理和分子作用机制了解有限，且缺乏对催产素治疗难产小鼠有效性的有力支持，这不符合循证兽医学实践的标准。在许多研究小鼠难产的病例中，催产素给药是禁忌的，其在难产小鼠中的使用可能毫无根据。本文简要回顾了催产素和分娩的生理机制以支持这一结论。讨论了小鼠难产的替代治疗方法，并提倡采用整体方法以更好地维护动物福利和保护有价值研究的完整性。负责监督为技术人员或研究人员治疗难产小鼠制定指南或标准操作规程的实验动物兽医应根据相关研究了解催产素给药的影响。
