title: Reference values for young normal Sprague-Dawley rats: weight gain, hematology and clinical chemistry.
abstract: 1. Arterial blood from 63 male (315-500 g) and 60 female (210-290 g) healthy Sprague-Dawley rats was analyzed for 16 hematological and 22 clinical chemistry parameters. 2. Nine of these parameters were associated with growth and developmental changes in males between 38-78 days and females 49 - 89 days of age. 3. Weight gain in both sexes followed patterns consistent with other studies using this strain, but interexperimental variation was as much as +/-22%. 4. Rectal temperatures of females averaged 37.28 degrees C, being statistically greater (P < 0.05) than the average male at 36.99 degrees C. 5. The data provide reference values for use in toxicological and other investigations.
authors.affiliation: Alberta Environmental Centre, Vegreville, Canada.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Lillie
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Temple
authors.forename: L Z
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Florence
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006403:Hematologic Tests; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors