Work

Development and evaluation of a climbing test in mice: A novel approach for assessing pain-related behaviour

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: (poster and abstract reused from EFIC 2025) Background and aims: The development of new analgesics is challenged by a low translation rate from preclinical models to a clinical setting, partially due to the reliance on evoked measures, which are inherently susceptible to bias. Painful conditions often make themselves known when performing everyday tasks, altering normal behaviour. We are validating a climbing test for assessing impairment of normal function in mice, serving as a measure of non-evoked pain-like behaviour. Our goal is to increase the translational value of preclinical experiments. Methods: We have established a climbing test, based on Santos et al. (Frontiers in Pain Research, 2023), which involves recording a mouse voluntarily climbing on a cylindrical vertical mesh grid for 10 minutes. A decrease in the frequency, duration, or distance of climbs, demonstrates the impact of pain on natural behaviour. We used the plantar incision model of post-surgical pain and evaluated if the NSAID meloxicam reinstates natural climbing. Results: This experiment is currently being completed, and data analysis is underway, with expected finalisation well before EFIC2025. Our preliminary results suggest that the plantar incision model impairs climbing behaviour only moderately, with results pending for the mitigating effects of meloxicam. Conclusions: The climbing test is a promising, behaviourally relevant, non-evoked test for assessing pain-related behaviour in mice, with a potential for enhancing the translational value of preclinical pain assessment. Preliminary results suggest only mild impairment from the plantar incision model, but future research will assess the outcome in other models.

Source: Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen)