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Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

A Mouse Model of Orthopedic Surgery to Study Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction and Tissue Regeneration

DOI: 10.3791/56701-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Perform parabiosis surgery to establish blood-sharing between paired mice
  • ✓ Execute tibial fracture surgery under anesthesia with proper aseptic technique
  • ✓ Assess postoperative neuroinflammation and behavioral changes in surgical models
  • ✓ Evaluate tissue regeneration and donor-cell engraftment in aging studies
Protocol

This protocol describes a mouse model of orthopedic surgery that has been used to study mechanisms of postoperative neuroinflammation and behavioral changes, and when combined with parabiosis, to study tissue regeneration during aging.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~4–6 weeks per paired cohort (including surgery recovery and regeneration assessment)
Model organism
Mouse (strain not specified; C57BL/6J typical)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Prepare mice and surgical equipment for dual procedures

Set up preoperative environment, anesthesia, and instruments for both parabiosis and orthopedic surgery in the same session. Ensure proper animal identification and surgical site preparation.

▶ 00:50
2
Perform parabiosis surgery between paired mice

Surgically join two mice by connecting their skin and peritoneal cavities to establish blood-sharing. This procedure enables study of circulating factors in tissue regeneration.

▶ 01:48
3
Create tibial fracture under anesthesia

Induce a controlled tibial fracture in one or both parabiotic partners using surgical techniques. Monitor anesthesia depth and maintain sterile conditions throughout.

▶ 04:02
4
Assess fracture healing and blood-sharing outcomes

Evaluate parabiosis success through chimerism assays, measure fracture callus formation, and confirm donor-cell engraftment in regenerating tissue. Document behavioral and neuroinflammatory changes postoperatively.

▶ 06:23
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