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Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Vinyl Chloride and High-Fat Diet as a Model of Environment and Obesity Interaction

DOI: 10.3791/60351-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Set up a vinyl chloride inhalation exposure system for controlled toxicant delivery
  • ✓ Model environment-obesity interaction using high-fat diet and low-level VC exposure
  • ✓ Validate VC concentrations and assess liver injury enhancement in exposed mice
Protocol

The goal of this protocol was to develop a murine model of low-level toxicant exposure that does not cause overt liver injury but rather exacerbates pre-existing liver damage. This paradigm better recapitulates human exposure and the subtle changes that occur upon exposure to toxicant concentrations that are considered safe.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~8–12 weeks (diet acclimatization + repeated VC exposures + post-exposure assessment)
Model organism
Mouse (C57BL/6J or similar)
Biosafety
BSL-2

Steps

1
Acclimate mice to purified experimental diet

Introduce mice to the purified high-fat diet protocol prior to vinyl chloride exposure. This baseline dietary conditioning ensures uniform metabolic state across all experimental groups.

▶ 00:42
2
Assemble vinyl chloride inhalation exposure system

Configure the VC delivery apparatus including gas generators, exposure chambers, and monitoring equipment according to manufacturer specifications and protocol requirements.

▶ 01:21
3
Prepare mice and chambers for VC exposure

Place acclimated mice into exposure chambers and establish baseline physiological measurements. Verify chamber sealing and gas flow parameters before initiating toxicant delivery.

▶ 02:17
4
Execute VC inhalation exposure and validate concentration

Deliver vinyl chloride vapor at predetermined low-level concentrations while continuously monitoring and recording actual exposure concentrations. Maintain exposure duration and frequency as specified.

▶ 03:21
5
Complete post-exposure procedures and recovery

Remove mice from exposure chambers, clear residual VC gas, and return animals to standard housing. Document behavioral observations and any acute effects.

▶ 06:12
6
Assess liver injury and VC enhancement effects

Collect tissues and perform histological and biochemical analyses to quantify diet-induced liver damage exacerbation following VC co-exposure versus diet-only controls.

▶ 07:01
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