Guinea pig in preclinical research

The guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) belongs to the order of rodents (Rodentia) in the suborder Hystricomorpha. Guinea pigs are more closely related to porcupines and chinchillas than to mice or rats. Guinea pigs are used in biomedical research: metabolic disorders, asthma research, audiology, cardiovascular system research, immunology, infectious diseases research. In safety assessment and toxicology studies, however, the use of the guinea pig is a bit narrower. The guinea pig is the only species of laboratory rodent recommended for cardiovascular safety pharmacology research. Guinea pigs are used in studies of sensitization, phototoxicity, ototoxicity, in dermal toxicity studies, in developmental toxicity studies. As with all other laboratory animal species, guinea pigs have a number of characteristics that must be taken into account when planning experiments. Guinea pigs require a dietary source of vitamin C. The animal maintained on a vitamin C-deficient diet develops scurvylike symptoms. Food deprivation and lack of water can cause death in guinea pigs. They have difficulty adapting to a diet different from the one they are used to. Guinea pigs are very sensitive to antibiotics. In guinea pigs, the procedures for collecting blood samples and intravenous administration of drugs are more complex than in other types of laboratory animals, since in guinea pigs the vessels are located deeper and the veins are small and fragile. Because guinea pigs are sensitive to teratogenic effects caused by various environmental and chemical agents, these animals can serve as an alternative model for studies of developmental effects when traditional models are not suitable. Guinea pigs have characteristics that make them unlike any of the other species commonly used for developmental toxicity studies (rabbits, rats). Pregnancy lasts longer than in other rodents, and the young are quite mature at birth. It is advisable to use modified reproductive toxicity study protocols. The most common use of guinea pigs in toxicology is in various studies of sensitization and photosensitization. The guinea pig is an excellent model for anaphylaxis and other immunological processes, this excellence is founded on the fact that the immune responses in the guinea pig (both cellular and humoral) are exaggerated compared to humans. Guinea pigs are one of the most commonly used laboratory rodents in phototoxicity assessments.