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In the upcoming sections, we detail three representative surgi-
cal procedures: esophagojejunostomy (in mice with DgER),
esophagogastroduodenal anastomosis (in mice with dGER), and
esophagogastroduodenal anastomosis with gastrectomy (in mice
with DER).2 Materials
- Before animal experiments are initiated, the experimental pro-
tocol must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional
Animal Care and Use Committee. - Use mice over 20 g in body weight or above 6 weeks in age for
surgery [ 21 ] to offset the technical difficulty associated with
the small size of mice. - Breed at a constant temperature (22 ± 2 °C) with relative
humidity (55 ± 10%) in cages with automatically controlled
12:12-h light/dark cycles and ad libitum laboratory diet
(restricted diet) and water. - Leave mice to acclimate for 1 week at the animal facility before
submitting them for experimentation.
3 Methods
- Deprive mice of food for 24 h prior to surgery.
- Shave the surgical area (i.e., the upper abdominal region).
- Anesthetize the mice by intraperitoneal injection of 80 mg/kg
and 12 mg/kg of xylazine. - Confirm proper anesthetization and sterilize the skin.
- Incise the upper abdomen about 2 cm along the midline (see
Notes 1 and 2 ). - Open the abdominal cavity through the midline. Remove the
xiphoid process with scissors to make a workspace and to main-
tain good visibility. - Separate, ligate (with 7-0 polypropylene), and cut the connec-
tive tissues and vessel bundle around the proximal stomach.
Gently separate the dorsal side of the esophagus from the ves-
sels behind it to completely free up the distal esophagus. - Divide the esophagus immediately proximal to the esophago-
gastric junction and close the gastric end with through- and-
through suture of 6-0 polypropylene. - Make a longitudinal incision of several millimeters at the ante-
rior wall of the jejunum, distal to the ligament of Treitz.
3.1 Preparation
of the Mice
3.2 Esophagojejuno-
stomy: DgER (Fig. 1 )
[ 10 , 19 ]
Takahiro Masuda and Sumeet K. Mittal