Screening of Stepping Forces in an Arthritic Rat Model Using a Novel Analgesic Meter and Data Acquisition System 英文参考文献.docVIP

Sensors 2012, 12, 9603-9612; doi:10.3390/s120709603 OPEN ACCESS sensors ISSN 1424-8220 /journal/sensors Article Screening of Stepping Forces in an Arthritic Rat Model Using a Novel Analgesic Meter and Data Acquisition System Mun Fei Yam 1,*, Mariam Ahmad 1, Lip Yee Por 2, Lee Fung Ang 1, Rusliza Basir 3 and Mohd. Zaini Asmawi 1 1 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia; E-Mails: mariam@usm.my (M.A.); ang.leef@ (L.F.A.); amzaini@usm.my (M.Z.A.) 2 Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; E-Mail: porlip@.my 3 Unit of Pharmacology, Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor 43400, Malaysia; E-Mail: rusliza@.my * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: yammunfei@; Tel.: +604-653-3888 (ext. 2162); Fax: +604-657-0017. Received: 15 June 2012; in revised form: 5 July 2012 / Accepted: 5 July 2012 / Published: 16 July 2012 Abstract: The stepping forces of normal and Freund Complete Adjuvant (FCA)-induced arthritic rats were studied in vivo using a proposed novel analgesic meter. An infrared charge-coupled device (CCD) camera and a data acquisition system were incorporated into the analgesic meter to determine and measure the weight of loads on the right hind paw before and after induction of arthritis by FCA injection into the paw cavity. FCA injection resulted in a significant reduction in the stepping force of the affected hind paw. The stepping force decreased to the minimum level on day 4 after the injection and then gradually increased up to day 25. Oral administration of prednisolone significantly increased the stepping forces of FCA-induced arthritic rats on days 14 and 21. These results suggest that the novel device is an effective tool for measuring the arthritic pain in in vivo studies even t