Hematological, biochemical, and growth parameters of Sprague Dawley rat of the Scientific Research and High Technology Services Institute of Panama

The Sprague-Dawley rat is used as an experimental model in neuroscience research, among others, devel­oped at the Scientific Research and High Technology Services Institute of Panama; being important to have reference values of some parameters such as: growth (weight-length), hematological and blood biochemical parameters. In this trial, from weaning to 8 weeks, the weight gains and growth in length of 10 females and 10 males were measured. At 8 weeks, some hematological parameters were measured, such as hemoglobin, hematocrit, white blood cells, and their differential cell count. Some biochemical blood parameters were also measured, such as glucose, cholesterol, GOT, and GPT. The sample size used was calculated considering the total population of the colony. The parameters measured were compared between sexes, finding signifi­cant differences in weight gain (p=0.01), height (p=0.02), hemoglobin (p=0.03), total leukocytes (p=0.05), monocytes (p<0.001), neutrophils (p=0.02), GPT (p=0.02) and GOT (p=0.01), where males presented high­er values in weight, height, total leukocytes, monocyte, neutrophils, GPT and GOT, while females presented higher values in hemoglobin. The values found in this trial can be used as data bases for different studies allowing the reproducibility of the experimental results at regional and global scope. In addition to applying the R’s of Reduction and Refinement of ethics in the use of laboratory animals.