Thermoneutrality and animal study

Animal models remain important for the study of human pathologies. The most widely used model (mouse) is an endothermic mammal like humans, maintained at ambient temperatures (22 degrees C). Its energy metabolism is overactivated, a situation rarely observed in humans thanks to various adaptations (clothing, heating horizontal ellipsis ). The thermoneutral zone is defined as a range of ambient temperatures that allows an organism to regulate body temperature without using additional thermoregulatory processes. There are many examples of divergent results between studies conducted at 22 degrees C or at 30 degrees C (thermoneutrality for mice). Therefore, it seems essential to take into account the housing temperature both for animal welfare and for the relevance of the results.