Ponte Giovanna, Sykes Antonio V, Cooke Gavan M, Almansa Eduardo, Andrews Paul L R
Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton DohrnNaples, Italy.
Association for Cephalopod Research (CephRes)Naples, Italy.
Front Physiol. 2017 Jun 19;8:403. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00403. eCollection 2017.
Ensuring the health and welfare of animals in research is paramount, and the normal functioning of the digestive tract is essential for both. Here we critically assess non- or minimally-invasive techniques which may be used to assess a cephalopod's digestive tract functionality to inform health monitoring. We focus on: (i) predatory response as an indication of appetitive drive; (ii) body weight assessment and interpretation of deviations (e.g., digestive gland weight loss is disproportionate to body weight loss in starvation); (iii) oro-anal transit time requiring novel, standardized techniques to facilitate comparative studies of species and diets; (iv) defecation frequency and analysis of fecal color (diet dependent) and composition (parasites, biomarkers, and cytology); (v) digestive tract endoscopy, but passage of the esophagus through the brain is a technical challenge; (vi) high resolution ultrasound that offers the possibility of imaging the morphology of the digestive tract (e.g., food distribution, indigestible residues, obstruction) and recording contractile activity; (vii) needle biopsy (with ultrasound guidance) as a technique for investigating digestive gland biochemistry and pathology without the death of the animal. These techniques will inform the development of physiologically based assessments of health and the impact of experimental procedures. Although intended for use in the laboratory they are equally applicable to cephalopods in public display and aquaculture.
确保实验动物的健康和福利至关重要，而消化道的正常功能对二者均必不可少。在此，我们严格评估可用于评估头足类动物消化道功能以指导健康监测的非侵入性或微创技术。我们关注以下方面：（i）捕食反应作为食欲驱动力的指标；（ii）体重评估及对偏差的解读（例如，饥饿时消化腺重量减轻与体重减轻不成比例）；（iii）口-肛转运时间，这需要新颖、标准化的技术以促进对不同物种和饮食的比较研究；（iv）排便频率以及粪便颜色（取决于饮食）和成分（寄生虫、生物标志物及细胞学）分析；（v）消化道内窥镜检查，但食管穿过脑部是一项技术挑战；（vi）高分辨率超声，它能够对消化道形态（如食物分布、难消化残渣、梗阻）进行成像并记录收缩活动；（vii）针吸活检（在超声引导下），作为一种在不导致动物死亡的情况下研究消化腺生物化学和病理学的技术。这些技术将为基于生理学的健康评估及实验程序的影响提供依据。尽管这些技术旨在用于实验室，但它们同样适用于公开展示和水产养殖中的头足类动物。
