- 著者
-
Yuuki HORII
Kanako OKADERA
Shingo MIYAWAKI
Takahiko SHIINA
Yasutake SHIMIZU
- 出版者
- Biomedical Research Press
- 雑誌
- Biomedical Research (ISSN:03886107)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.43, no.2, pp.53-57, 2022-04-15 (Released:2022-04-15)
- 参考文献数
- 27
Torpor, a state of lowered body temperature due to active reduction of the metabolic rate, has potential medical benefits. The aim of this study was to establish a novel laboratory animal that enter torpor without imposing complex conditions. When house musk shrews (Suncus murinus) were kept at an ambient temperature of 24°C, most of the animals did not enter daily torpor. However, when the ambient temperature was lowered to below 20°C, all of the shrews showed torpor in the absence of fasting and short-day photoperiod. The shrews that were exposed to a stepwise decrease in ambient temperature from 24°C to 8°C entered torpor even after returning them to a room kept at 24°C. In conclusion, this study indicates that Suncus murinus may be a suitable model animal for elucidating the mechanism of daily torpor. Elucidation of the mechanisms of torpor by using this model may be useful for inducing a state of artificial hibernation in various species including humans.