Intracerebral Microdialysis
Sygnature is a leading provider of intracerebral microdialysis services in rats and mice. Our dedicated team of experts have been conducting microdialysis studies for more than 20 years and can design bespoke studies to meet clients’ precise needs.
Microdialysis is a technique which studies the effects of drugs on free concentrations of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in different brain regions of freely moving or anaesthetised rodents. Typically, these studies evaluate the mode of action and/or efficacy of candidate compounds with potential for the treatment of CNS and metabolic disorders by characterising their effects in normal rodents and/or rodent models of a disease state.
Our experts use high sensitivity UHPLC and HPLC with electrochemical detection (ALEXYS™) to measure:
- Dopamine
- Gamma-amino butyric-acid (GABA)
- Noradrenaline
- Serotonin
- Monoamine metabolites
- Glutamate
- Acetylcholine
- And others (please contact us for further details)
There are a variety of administration routes for compounds, including infusion via localised reverse dialysis. There is the opportunity for sampling for up to 24h following drug administration.
- Single probe microdialysis measures the effects of drugs on multiple neurotransmitters and their metabolites in the same study.
- Dual probe microdialysis investigates multiple brain areas simultaneously in the same study.
Our model also makes it possible to combine rat microdialysis with behavioural assessment and automated stress-free blood sampling (using the Culex Bambino/Raturn System; BASi) for PK measurements to generate a detailed PK/PD assessment. Additionally, this model facilitates the analysis of terminal blood and tissue samples from parallel groups and there is the option for either analysis carried out on-site at Sygnature or shipped to clients at their convenience.
Samples generated from microdialysis studies can also be used to look at the recovery and measurement of free drug concentrations in the brain, or to measure drug and neurotransmitter levels in the same microdialysate sample.
One key area of application for microdialysis is the study of drug abuse. Many drugs of abuse are associated with increased extracellular dopamine in the rat nucleus accumbens. Using microdialysis, we can monitor how novel treatments of substance use disorders influence this response, or whether a novel drug is likely to possess abuse potential.
