Age-dependent changes in the activity of serum alkaline phosphatase in laboratory beagle dogs.

In order to prepare background data for toxicity studies, serum alkaline phosphatase activity in a total of 5,242 male and female beagle dogs was surveyed for the sequence of changes in activity through aging. About 95% of the beagle dogs surveyed were 5 to 12 months of age, corresponding with the age usually employed in toxicity studies. Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, about 460 IU/l at 5 months of age, steadily decreased and reached a level about one third of that (about 160 IU/l) at 12 months of age, and remained unchanged thereafter. The above findings were essentially the same irrespective of sex and breeding colony. The present results are useful information in the evaluation of blood chemistry data in toxicity studies.

Oral glucose tolerance test and determination of serum fructosamine level in beagle dogs.

The present communication deals with information regarding the practice of the oral glucose tolerance test and determination of serum fructosamine in laboratory beagles. In the oral glucose tolerance test, a 180-min level was found to be crucial following a gavage administration of 50% glucose solution at 5 mL/kg per body weight under fasting conditions. Serum fructosamine concentration as 'determined by enzymatic assay ranged between 82 and 123 micromol/L (mean of 104 micromol/L), which was about 0.285 to 0.25 times the value obtained by the chemical method described by Johnson and colleagues. Reasons for differences are ascribed to the presence of substances with reducing potential other than fructosamine in the serum.