Evaluating the Clinical and Physiological Effects of Long Term Ultraviolet B Radiation on Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus)

Authors

Megan K. Watson, University of Illinois
Adam W. Stern, University of Illinois
Amber L. Labelle, University of Illinois
Stephen Joslyn, University of Illinois
Timonthy M. Fan, University of Illinois
Katie Leister, University of Illinois
Micah Kohles, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Kemba Marshall
Mark A. Mitchell, University of IllinoisFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2014

Citation

Watson MK, Stern AW, Labelle AL, Joslyn S, Fan TM, et al. (2014) Evaluating the Clinical and Physiological Effects of Long Term Ultraviolet B Radiation on Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus). PLoS ONE 9(12): e114413. doi:10. 1371/journal.pone.0114413.

Comments

Copyright 2014 Watson et al. This is an openaccess article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.

Abstract

Vitamin D is an important hormone in vertebrates. Most animals acquire this hormone through their diet, secondary to exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, or a combination thereof. The objectives for this research were to evaluate the clinical and physiologic effects of artificial UVB light supplementation on guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) and to evaluate the long-term safety of artificial UVB light supplementation over the course of six months. Twelve juvenile acromelanic Hartley guinea pigs were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: Group A was exposed to 12 hours of artificial UVB radiation daily and Group B received only ambient fluorescent light for 12 hours daily. Animals in both groups were offered the same diet and housed under the same conditions. Blood samples were collected every three weeks to measure blood chemistry values, parathyroid hormone, ionized calcium, and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ (25-OHD₃) levels. Serial ophthalmologic examinations, computed tomography scans, and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scans were performed during the course of the study. At the end of the study the animals were euthanized and necropsied. Mean +/- SD serum 25-OHD₃ concentrations differed significantly in the guinea pigs (p<0.0001) between the UVB supplementation group (101.49+/-21.81 nmol/L) and the control group (36.33+/-24.42 nmol/L). An increased corneal thickness in both eyes was also found in the UVB supplementation compared to the control group (right eye [OD]: p<0.0001; left eye [OS]: p<0.0001). There were no apparent negative clinical or pathologic side effects noted between the groups. This study found that exposing guinea pigs to UVB radiation long term significantly increased their circulating serum 25-OHD3 levels, and that this increase was sustainable over time. Providing guinea pigs exposure to UVB may be an important husbandry consideration that is not currently recommended.