Minipigs as laboratory animals - review

Rozkot M., Václavková E., Bělková J.

Institite of Anbimal Science Prague, Czech Republic

Abstract

Minipigs are one of the most important laboratory animals because of their similarity to human. The minipigs had several advantages as a laboratory animal. They are small thus much easier for handling. Also, requirements of food, space and even pharmacologic products or anesthetic are significantly reduced. Miniature pigs have a convenient body size for surgical procedures and given their anatomical similarities to humans particularly in terms of skin, skeleton, teeth, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, liver, kidney, lung, and immune status they are often used as models for humans. In cardiac research, they are often used for studies on cholesterol. They are widely used in pharmacology research and diabetes research. In this review, we summarized several information and guidelines related with minipigs, especially about their history, breeding and using as model laboratory animal.

Key Words: minipig, laboratory animal, breeding