Authors : Ozgur Kaynar , Armagan Hayirli , Ahmet Yildiz , Zafer Okumu , Fikrullah Kisa , Emel Banu Buyukunal Bal , Harun Polat and Fuat Erdem
Abstract: In this experiment, 18 female and 18 male Sprague Dawley rats were utilized to evaluate physiological and biochemical traits. Rats were fed to ad libitum consumption of the conventional diet and housed in cages separately by gender at density of 160 cm2 per rat from 3 to 10 weeks of age. At the end of the experiment, body weights were measured for growth, blood samples were collected for metabolic profile and hemogram and then rats were euthansized for organ development. After log transformation of blood cell data, all response variables were subjected to t-test for gender comparison and normality and correlation tests for generation of reference values and determination of autocorrelations. Growth and organ development were greatly affected by gender. However, gender effect on weights of organs altered when weights were expressed in proportion to body weight. Differences in blood chemistry by gender were in agreements with those in weights of organs. White blood cell counts were not different. Erythrocyte and related hemogram variables differed by gender. In conclusion, variations and differences in biochemical and physiological traits by gender should be taken into consideration for future investigations coping with medical and nutritional issues.
Ozgur Kaynar , Armagan Hayirli , Ahmet Yildiz , Zafer Okumu , Fikrullah Kisa , Emel Banu Buyukunal Bal , Harun Polat and Fuat Erdem , 2006. Reference Values for Some Physiological and Biochemical Parameters in Rats at Puberty. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 5: 1121-1128.