Assessing the effect of sex on the performance related traits in inbred Swiss albino mice

The similarity among humans and other mammals makes mice as one of the most preferred experimental animals in laboratory research. Inbred strains of mice are genetically similar may reduce experimental variability and increase study reproducibility. In this study, performance related traits of 628 Swiss albino mice in F6 and 557 Swiss albino mice in F7 generation were estimated. In F6 population, body weight at birth (BWB), body weight at weaning (BWW) and adult body weight (ABW) were 1.50±0.00 g, 16.38±0.12 g and 29.98±0.17 g, respectively. However, BWB, BWW and ABW were 1.51±0.00g, 18.71±0.18 g and 29.15±0.21 g, respectively in F7 inbred mice population. There was significant increase (P<0.05) in mean body weight at weaning (BWW) and adult body weight (ABW) in males of F6 and F7 generation. These findings showed that less magnitude of inbreeding depression effect was seen in BWW and ABW of male sex as compare to that of female sex. In summary, increasing level of inbreeding resulted in the depression of performance of female inbred mice than male inbred mice.