title: Environmental and genetic effects on food-deprivation induced stomach lesions in male rats.
abstract: When Roman high- and low-avoidance (RHA/Verh and RLA/Verh) rats were individually housed in plastic cages with sawdust bedding and food-deprived (F-D) for 4-5 days, it was found that F-D RHA/Verh rats had more lesions than their unfasted controls and more lesions than F-D RLA/Verh rats. The lesions were mostly petechial in nature and located in the glandular portion of the stomach. Also, F-D RHA/Verh rats which were housed in the same room as the controls, as well as F-D RHA/Verh rats which were housed in a separate room with a strong food odor present, had more lesions than F-D RHA/Verh rats housed in the same separate room when there was no food odor, and when none of the rats present had access to food. When F-D RHA/Verh and F-D RLA/Verh rats were individually housed in metal cages with grid floors, however, a general increase in lesion scores resulted and differences between the two rat lines disappeared, as did differences among the room conditions. Also, many lesions were of an ulcerative nature and were located in the rumenal portion of the stomach. It was concluded that sensory (in this case olfactory, at least) and genetic factors are capable of playing roles in the induction of stomach lesions in rats, and that the type, extent and location of the lesions can depend upon whether or not the animals have access to sawdust bedding.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D005508:Food Deprivation; D005744:Gastric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006799:Housing, Animal; D008297:Male; D009812:Odorants; D011693:Purpura / Q000209:etiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000235:genetics*; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000209:etiology*; D014934:Wood