A Continuous Monitoring system for Blood Glucose Measurements in conscious Animals without Surgery

Abstract The hypoglycemic activity of insulin delivered via the various routes is commonly determined by measuring glucose levels in the whole blood samples taken intermittently at frequent intervals. This procedure is usually performed in the anaesthetized animals, however, the glucose levels determined could be higher than those in the conscious animals. Furthermore, the animals are usually excited by direct contact with the investigator during the frequent blood sampling in conscious state, which could cause the glucose level to be higher than at undisturbed state. To overcome these problems, a continuous blood glucose monitoring system was developed by connecting the sensor chamber of a glucose analyzer (YSI Industrial Analyzer model 27), which utilizes glucose oxidase for glucose measurement, to a peristaltic pump with a specially designed mixing chamber and a data acquisition station. By using this system, the hyper-/hypoglycemic activity of glucagon/insulin formulations in the conscious animals, after various routes of administration, can be determined without any interruption and/or disturbance.