Biological Sample Collection from Experimental Animals

AbstractBiological samples such as blood, urine and other body fluids are collected from laboratory animals for specific purposes. The methods used for the collection of biological samples should be the least stressful and painful. Prior permission should be obtained from the animal ethics committee for collection of biological samples from the animals. In the laboratory, rats, mice, guinea pigs and rabbits are most commonly used for pharmacological experiments. The frequency of blood collection depends on animal species and nonterminal blood collection is limited up to 10% of total circulating blood volume in healthy adult animals. Apart from blood samples, urine and saliva samples are collected from animals for investigation. In this chapter, blood, urine and saliva collection methods from laboratory animals are discussed.KeywordsBlood sampleAnimal ethicsRodentsNon-rodents