Voluntary wheel running (VWR) behaviour is a sensitive indicator of disturbed wellbeing and used for the assessment of individual experimental severity levels in laboratory mice. However, monitoring individual VWR performance usually requires single housing, which itself might have a negative effect on wellbeing. In consideration of the 3Rs principle, VWR behaviour was evaluated under group-housing conditions. To test the applicability for severity assessment, this readout was evaluated in a dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) induced colitis model. For continuous monitoring, an automated system with integrated radio-frequency identification technology was used, enabling detection of individual VWR. After a 14-day adaptation period mice demonstrated a stable running performance. Analysis during DSS treatment in combination with repeated facial vein phlebotomy and faecal sampling procedure resulted in significantly reduced VWR behaviour during the course of colitis and increased VWR during disease recovery. Mice submitted to phlebotomy and faecal sampling but no DSS treatment showed less reduced VWR but a longer-lasting recovery. Application of a cluster model discriminating individual severity levels based on VWR and body weight data revealed the highest severity level in most of the DSS-treated mice on day 7, but a considerable number of control mice also showed elevated severity levels due to sampling procedures alone. In summary, VWR sensitively indicated the course of DSS colitis severity and the impact of sample collection. Therefore, monitoring of VWR is a suitable method for the detection of disturbed wellbeing due to DSS colitis and sampling procedure in group-housed female laboratory mice.

中文翻译：

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在群居雌性小鼠中的轮转行为表明由于DSS结肠炎而导致的健康受损。

自愿车轮行驶（VWR）行为是健康受到干扰的敏感指标，用于评估实验室小鼠的个别实验严重性水平。但是，监视单个VWR性能通常需要单个外壳，这本身可能会对健康产生负面影响。考虑到3Rs原则，在组居住条件下评估了VWR行为。为了测试严重性评估的适用性，在葡聚糖硫酸钠（DSS）诱导的结肠炎模型中评估了此读数。为了进行连续监视，使用了具有集成射频识别技术的自动化系统，可以检测单个VWR。经过14天的适应期后，小鼠表现出稳定的跑步表现。DSS治疗期间的分析与反复的面部静脉放血和粪便采样程序相结合，导致结肠炎过程中VWR行为显着降低，疾病恢复期间VWR升高。接受静脉放血和粪便采样的小鼠，但未进行DSS治疗时，VWR降低较少，但恢复时间更长。基于VWR和体重数据区分个体严重性水平的聚类模型的应用显示，在第7天，大多数DSS处理的小鼠的严重性水平最高，但是相当数量的对照组小鼠也由于单独的采样程序而显示出较高的严重性水平。总之，VWR灵敏地指出了DSS结肠炎严重程度的进程以及样品收集的影响。因此，