Device for fixing head and exposing oral cavity of laboratory mouse
By designing a head fixation and oral cavity exposure device for laboratory mice, the problems of poor adaptability of mouth openers and the need for additional manpower for fixation were solved, achieving stable and safe oral operation and improving experimental efficiency and reliability.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511361502.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-23
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-04
- Estimated Expiration
- Not applicable · inactive patent
AI Technical Summary
The lack of a specially designed mouth opener in current laboratory mouse oral manipulation techniques results in poor adaptability of the mouth opener, insufficient exposure, easy slippage and injury to the animal, and requires additional manpower to fix the head and adjust the angle, affecting the convenience, efficiency and reliability of the experiment.
A device comprising an operating base plate, upper tooth hooks, cheek hooks, and lower tooth hooks was designed to fix the mouse head and expose the oral cavity through the combination of these components. The device is made of elastic material and has an adjustable structure, allowing single-person operation and adjustment of the head angle.
It significantly improves the convenience and efficiency of experimental procedures, ensures stable oral exposure and safety, reduces the need for human resources, and improves the reliability and reproducibility of experiments.
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Figure CN120884398A_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of experimental mouse special equipment, and particularly relates to a device for fixing the head of an experimental mouse and exposing the oral cavity. BACKGROUND
[0002] Experimental mice are important model animals in biomedical research and are widely used in various experimental studies. However, mice are small in size, and the internal operating space of their oral cavity is limited, especially the position of the molars is backward. When performing oral examination, drug administration or surgery, etc., the deep structure of the oral cavity needs to be fully exposed. This requirement puts high demands on experimental equipment to ensure the safety and accuracy of the operation.
[0003] At present, there is a lack of commercial mouth gags specially designed for mice on the market. Experimental personnel usually need to bend wires or other materials to make mouth gags to meet the needs of exposing the oral cavity of mice. However, this self-made method has significant defects: the size and design of the mouth gags vary from person to person, making it difficult to ensure that the mouth corners of the mice are stably pried open and the molars in the rear position are fully exposed; poor mouth gags can easily lead to difficulties in installation, insufficient exposure, slipping during operation, and even tearing of the mouse's mouth corners or damage to the tongue. These problems not only affect the accuracy of the experiment, but also can cause animal welfare problems and increase the risk of experimental failure. The specifications and quality of self-made equipment vary, which cannot be adapted to mice of different sizes, further exacerbating the instability of the operation.
[0004] In addition, after achieving oral cavity exposure, at least one person is needed to cooperate to fix the head of the mouse and adjust the angle suitable for subsequent operations during the experiment. This human dependence not only wastes experimental resources, but also increases the complexity and time cost of the experiment. The existing self-bent mouth gags cannot achieve the functions of head fixation and angle adjustment, resulting in low experimental efficiency, which is particularly prominent in multi-task or resource-limited environments. The adaptability of the equipment also makes the operation difficult to standardize, affecting the reliability and repeatability of the experimental results.
[0005] Therefore, the existing technology still has many deficiencies, and a more reliable and efficient solution is needed to improve the convenience and safety of mouse experimental operations. SUMMARY
[0006] The purpose of the present application is to solve the problems of poor adaptability of mouth gags, insufficient exposure, easy slippage and damage to animals, and the need for additional manpower to fix the head and adjust the angle in the oral operation of experimental mice, and therefore a device for fixing the head of an experimental mouse and exposing the oral cavity is proposed. Through the use of the device, only one experimental personnel is needed to complete the fixation of the head of the mouse and the exposure of the oral cavity, and during the subsequent experimental process, the remaining experimental personnel do not need to cooperate, that is, the angle of the head of the mouse can be adjusted, the open state of the mouse can be maintained, and the experiment can be stably performed.
[0007] The present application adopts the following technical solutions to achieve the purpose: A device for fixing the head and exposing the oral cavity of a laboratory mouse, comprising an operation base plate, an upper tooth hook, a cheek hook and a lower tooth hook; the operation base plate is used for allowing the mouse to lie on its upper surface, and a base plate fixing member is arranged on the upper, lower, left and right sides of the operation base plate; after the mouse lies on the operation base plate, the upper tooth hook is used for hooking the upper incisors of the mouse, the cheek hook is used for hooking the left and right cheeks of the mouse, and the lower tooth hook is used for hooking the lower incisors of the mouse, so as to jointly fix the head and expose the oral cavity of the mouse; the side of the upper tooth hook and the cheek hook away from the head of the mouse is detachably connected to the base plate fixing member in the corresponding direction on the operation base plate; and the side of the lower tooth hook away from the head of the mouse is detachably connected to the base plate fixing member in the corresponding direction on the operation base plate after passing above the body of the mouse.
[0008] Preferably, the material of the upper tooth hook, the cheek hook and the lower tooth hook is an elastic material with a preset elastic coefficient, or a corresponding structure is formed by using a moldable metal core.
[0009] Specifically, the upper tooth hook is composed of a first hook segment and a first fixed segment connected thereto; a first ring-shaped hook is arranged at the end of the first hook segment, and the first ring-shaped hook is used for hooking the upper incisors of the mouse, and the first ring-shaped hook is a closed ring structure formed by bending downward the end of the first hook segment; A plurality of first fixing members arranged along the length direction of the upper tooth hook are arranged on the first fixed segment; when the mouse lies on the operation base plate and the first ring-shaped hook hooks the upper incisors of the mouse, one of the first fixing members is matched and connected with the base plate fixing member on the upper side of the operation base plate.
[0010] Specifically, the cheek hook is composed of a left cheek hook and a right cheek hook arranged symmetrically, and the left cheek hook and the right cheek hook are each composed of a second hook segment and a second fixed segment connected thereto; a second ring-shaped hook is arranged at the end of the second hook segment, and the second ring-shaped hook is used for hooking the left or right cheek of the mouse, and the second ring-shaped hook is a closed ring structure formed by bending downward and further extending backward the end of the second hook segment; A plurality of second fixing members arranged along the length direction of the left cheek hook or the right cheek hook are arranged on the second fixed segment; when the mouse lies on the operation base plate and the left cheek hook hooks the left cheek of the mouse or the right cheek hook hooks the right cheek of the mouse, one of the second fixing members on the left cheek hook or the right cheek hook is matched and connected with the base plate fixing member on the left side or the right side of the operation base plate.
[0011] Preferably, the bottom plate fixing member is a cylindrical structure arranged on the upper surface of the operation bottom plate; the side away from the mouse head of the upper tooth hook, the cheek hook and the lower tooth hook is respectively provided with a plurality of annular fixing members; when the upper tooth hook, the cheek hook or the lower tooth hook is connected with the bottom plate fixing member, one of the annular fixing members is sleeved on the corresponding cylindrical structure.
[0012] Preferably, the upper surface of the operation bottom plate is further provided with a head recess, the bottom of the head recess is at the same height as the upper surface of the operation bottom plate, and the recess around the head recess protrudes from the operation bottom plate; the head recess is used to accommodate and assist in fixing the left and right sides of the head of the mouse when the mouse is supine on the operation bottom plate; the upper surface of the operation bottom plate is further provided with a neck support, which is used to support the neck of the mouse when the mouse is supine on the operation bottom plate, so that the head of the mouse is in a backward-tilted state.
[0013] Preferably, the neck support comprises a neck contact member and a plurality of height adjusting members with different thicknesses; the neck contact member is connected with any one or more of the height adjusting members, so as to change the overall height of the neck support, and further change the backward-tilting angle of the head of the mouse; the upper surface of the operation bottom plate corresponding to the position of the neck support and the upper surface of each height adjusting member are provided with positioning columns; the lower surface of each height adjusting member and the lower surface of the neck contact member are provided with positioning holes matched with the positioning columns.
[0014] Specifically, the lower tooth hook is composed of a third hook segment and a third fixed segment connected with each other; the third hook segment is provided at the end with a third annular hook, which is used to hook the lower mandibular teeth of the mouse, and the third annular hook is a closed annular structure formed by bending the end of the third hook segment downward; The third fixed segment is provided with a plurality of third fixing members arranged along the length direction of the lower tooth hook; when the mouse is supine on the operation bottom plate and the third annular hook hooks the lower mandibular teeth of the mouse, one of the third fixing members is connected with the bottom plate fixing member on the lower side of the operation bottom plate.
[0015] Preferably, the device further comprises a tongue pressing member rotatably connected with the lower tooth hook, which is used to push the tongue of the mouse to the left or right side of the oral cavity of the mouse after the head of the mouse is fixed and the oral cavity is exposed, so as to further expose the inside of the oral cavity of the mouse.
[0016] Preferably, the tongue pressing member is composed of a connecting rod and a tongue pressing plate connected with each other, the connecting rod is rotatably connected with the third hook segment through a rotating shaft, and the tongue pressing plate directly contacts the tongue of the mouse and pushes the tongue of the mouse to the left or right side of the oral cavity of the mouse when the connecting rod rotates; A platform for bearing the rotating shaft is formed on the third hook section, when the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the third hook section through the rotating shaft, the connecting rod is located above the third hook section, and the tongue depressor connected by the connecting rod extends downward to the corresponding position of the tongue in the mouse oral cavity after passing the third annular hook; The material of the connecting rod is an elastic material with a preset elastic coefficient, and the material of the tongue depressor is silica gel material. A limiting cross bar is further arranged on the third hook section, and the limiting cross bar is located at the corresponding position below the side of the connecting rod away from the tongue depressor; limiting fixing members are arranged on the two sides of the limiting cross bar, when the connecting rod rotates around the rotating shaft and the tongue depressor pushes the tongue of the mouse to the left side or the right side of the oral cavity, the side of the connecting rod away from the tongue depressor is embedded into the limiting fixing members, so that the overall limiting and fixing of the tongue depressor are realized, and the state that the tongue of the mouse is located at the left side or the right side of the oral cavity is maintained.
[0017] As the technical scheme is adopted, the present application has the following beneficial effects: The device significantly improves the convenience and efficiency of experimental operation, and the structural design allows the experimental personnel to independently complete the head fixation and oral cavity exposure operation of the mouse, and the open state of the mouse can be stably maintained and the head reclining angle can be adjusted without additional assistance in subsequent experiments, so that the human resources are effectively saved.
[0018] The device is easy to install, and the independent components designed for the mouse in the supine position can respectively realize the opening and fixation in the front-back and left-right directions. By combining the oral cavity opening component with the fixing base, the up-down and left-right fixation of the oral cavity of the mouse is stably realized, and the groove structure provided at the head bottom ensures that the head is not easily displaced in the front-back and left-right directions, thereby providing reliable overall fixation effect.
[0019] The device also significantly improves the sufficiency of the exposure of the oral cavity of the mouse. The adjustable height support component located at the back of the neck of the mouse can adjust the support height value as needed, so as to accurately control the reclining angle of the head of the mouse. This design enables the molar region and the palate of the mouse in the rear position to obtain a clearer and more sufficient exposure field, which is convenient for deep operation.
[0020] The stability and safety of the device can also be fully guaranteed; the oral cavity opening component adopts a design with a specific inner buckle angle, which can effectively prevent the component from accidentally slipping off during the experiment, thereby ensuring the continuity of the operation. At the same time, the silica gel tongue depressor component is softer than the rigid material, which can effectively remove the blockage of the mouse tongue to the operation view, and can also avoid causing pressure injury or damage to the tongue tissue, thereby significantly improving the welfare of the experimental animals. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0021] The embodiments and technical solutions of the present application are further described in detail by the following drawings, specifically including 8 drawings, as follows: Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the whole device of the present application; Figure 2 It is a top view schematic diagram of the whole device of the present application; Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the upper tooth drag hook in the device of the present application; Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the buccal drag hook in the device of the present application; Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the neck support in the device of the present application; Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the lower tooth drag hook and its tongue depressor in the device of the present application; Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the tongue depressor in the device of the present application after being fixed to the right; Figure 8 It is a top view schematic diagram of the tongue depressor in the device of the present application after being fixed left and right.
[0022] The meanings represented by the marks in the drawings are as follows: 1 - operating bottom plate; 11 - bottom plate fixing piece, 12 - head recess, 13 - neck support; 131 - neck contact piece, 132 - height adjusting piece, 133 - positioning column; 2 - upper tooth drag hook; 21 - first drag hook section, 22 - first ring-shaped hook, 23 - first fixed section, 24 - first fixing piece; 3 - buccal drag hook; 31 - second drag hook section, 32 - second ring-shaped hook, 33 - second fixed section, 34 - second fixing piece; 4 - lower tooth drag hook; 41 - third drag hook section, 42 - third ring-shaped hook; 5 - tongue depressor; 51 - connecting rod, 52 - rotating shaft, 53 - tongue depressor plate, 54 - limiting cross rod, 55 - limiting fixing piece. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below by combining the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.
[0024] The following detailed description of embodiments of the application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the application as claimed, but merely represents selected embodiments of the application. Based upon the embodiments in the application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of the protection of the application.
[0025] Embodiment 1 As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 A device for fixing the head and exposing the oral cavity of a laboratory mouse includes an operating base plate 1, an upper tooth hook 2, a cheek hook 3, and a lower tooth hook 4. The operating base plate 1 is used for the mouse to lie on its upper surface in a supine position, and base plate fixing members 11 are provided on the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the operating base plate 1. When the mouse lies on the operating base plate 1 in a supine position, the upper tooth hook 2 is used to hook the upper incisors of the mouse, the cheek hook 3 is used to hook the left and right cheeks of the mouse, and the lower tooth hook 4 is used to hook the lower incisors of the mouse, all of which together achieve the fixation of the mouse's head and the exposure of the oral cavity. The distal side of the upper tooth hook 2 and the cheek hook 3, away from the mouse's head, are respectively detachably connected to the corresponding base plate fixing members 11 on the operating base plate 1 in the corresponding direction. The distal side of the lower tooth hook 4, away from the mouse's head, is detachably connected to the corresponding base plate fixing member 11 on the operating base plate 1 in the corresponding direction after passing above the mouse's body.
[0026] In this embodiment, the mouse is first placed in a supine position on the upper surface of the operating base plate 1 to ensure its body stability. Then, the operator uses the upper tooth hook 2 to hook the upper incisors of the mouse, while using the cheek hook 3 to hook the left and right cheeks of the mouse, and the lower tooth hook 4 to hook the lower incisors of the mouse after passing above the mouse's body. In this way, the three work together to firmly fix the mouse's head and fully expose the oral cavity area, facilitating experimental operations such as drug administration or observation. The distal ends of the upper tooth hook 2 and the cheek hook 3 are directly connected to the corresponding base plate fixing members 11 on the operating base plate 1 in the corresponding direction, ensuring that the hook positions are adjustable and stable. The distal end of the lower tooth hook 4 is also connected to the base plate fixing member 11 on the operating base plate 1 after passing above the mouse's body. This design not only prevents the mouse from moving, but also avoids unnecessary pressure, improving the comfort of the experimental animal. The overall structure of the device is compact, and through the connection of the base plate fixing members 11 and the hooks, it can achieve multi-directional adjustability to adapt to the opening degree requirements of mice of different sizes. The device of this embodiment therefore significantly improves experimental efficiency, reduces operation time, and ensures the stability of oral cavity exposure, providing a reliable foundation for subsequent experiments such as drug exposure or physiological monitoring.
[0027] It should be noted that the fixation of the mouse body can be performed in a conventional manner. For example, the mouse body and limbs can be stably bound to the operation base plate 1 by means of a simple binding belt to prevent overall movement; or according to the actual mouse state, such as whether it is anesthetized or not, no fixation is performed on the body, and only the device hook structure is relied on to achieve the opening purpose and control the head fixation. How to handle the body fixation and what means to use are all conventional techniques known in the art, and are not the focus of this embodiment, which will not be described here.
[0028] As a preferred embodiment, the materials of the upper dental hook 2, the buccal hook 3 and the lower dental hook 4 are elastic materials with a preset elastic coefficient, or are formed by a shapeable metal core. The elastic material, such as medical silicone or biocompatible polymer, can provide moderate deformation buffer to avoid rigid compression of the mouse oral tissue, while ensuring that the hook maintains a stable traction force; the preset elastic coefficient is designed to adapt to the physiological structure of the mouse incisors and the buccal oral cavity, achieving a balance between flexibility and rigidity during fixation. The shapeable metal core, such as an aluminum core or a memory alloy wire, allows the operator to further adjust the bending angle of the hook according to the oral size of individual mice, achieving more personalized adaptation. Both material options take into account biological safety and operational reliability, preventing the instrument from slipping, reducing mechanical damage to animal tissue during the experiment, and meeting the requirements of animal experiment ethics.
[0029] As a preferred embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The bottom plate fixing member 11 is a cylindrical structure arranged on the upper surface of the operation base plate 1; the upper dental hook 2, the buccal hook 3 and the lower dental hook 4 are each provided with a plurality of annular fixing members on the side away from the mouse head; when the upper dental hook 2, the buccal hook 3 or the lower dental hook 4 is connected with the bottom plate fixing member 11, one of the annular fixing members is sleeved on the corresponding cylindrical structure.
[0030] This connection mode can effectively improve the operational flexibility, and the operator can select different annular fixing members to be sleeved into the corresponding cylindrical structure according to the size difference of the mouse, to achieve multi-level adjustment of the traction degree of the hook. The annular fixing member and the cylindrical structure can form a sliding fit, allowing each hook to rotate at a certain angle to adapt to the offset angle of the mouse head in the horizontal plane. The sleeving mode can ensure the stability of each hook during the experiment, and even if the mouse struggles slightly, it will not be dislocated, and the operator can complete the assembly and disassembly with one hand. The adjustable design enables the device to quickly adapt to different opening requirements of the experimental scene.
[0031] Embodiment 2 On the basis of embodiment 1, this embodiment introduces the specific structure of the upper dental hook 2, the buccal hook 3 and the lower dental hook 4 in the device.
[0032] As shown in Figure 3 , the upper teeth hook 2 is composed of a first hook segment 21 and a first fixed segment 23 connected; the first hook segment 21 is provided with a first annular hook 22 at the end, and the first annular hook 22 is used to hook the upper incisors of the mouse, and the first annular hook 22 is a closed ring structure formed by bending the end of the first hook segment 21 downward.
[0033] The first fixed segment 23 is provided with a plurality of first fixed parts 24 arranged along the length direction of the upper teeth hook 2; when the mouse lies on the operation base plate 1 and the first annular hook 22 hooks the upper incisors of the mouse, one of the first fixed parts 24 is matched and connected with the base plate fixed part 11 on the upper side of the operation base plate 1.
[0034] As shown in Figure 4 , the cheek hook 3 is composed of a left cheek hook and a right cheek hook arranged symmetrically, and the left cheek hook and the right cheek hook are both composed of a second hook segment 31 and a second fixed segment 33 connected; the second hook segment 31 is provided with a second annular hook 32 at the end, and the second annular hook 32 is used to hook the left cheek or the right cheek of the mouse, and the second annular hook 32 is a closed ring structure formed by bending the end of the second hook segment 31 downward and further extending backward.
[0035] The second fixed segment 33 is provided with a plurality of second fixed parts 34 arranged along the length direction of the left cheek hook or the right cheek hook; when the mouse lies on the operation base plate 1 and the left cheek hook hooks the left cheek of the mouse, or the right cheek hook hooks the right cheek of the mouse, one of the second fixed parts 34 on the left cheek hook or the right cheek hook is matched and connected with the base plate fixed part 11 on the left side or the right side of the operation base plate 1.
[0036] As shown in Figure 1 , and referring to Figure 6 , Figure 7 , the lower teeth hook 4 is composed of a third hook segment 41 and a third fixed segment (not shown in Figure 1 , Figure 6 , 7 ) connected; the third hook segment 41 is provided with a third annular hook 42 at the end, and the third annular hook 42 is used to hook the lower incisors of the mouse, and the third annular hook 42 is a closed ring structure formed by bending the end of the third hook segment 41 downward.
[0037] The third fixed segment is provided with a plurality of third fixed parts arranged along the length direction of the lower teeth hook; when the mouse lies on the operation base plate 1 and the third annular hook hooks the lower incisors of the mouse, one of the third fixed parts is matched and connected with the base plate fixed part 11 on the lower side of the operation base plate 1.
[0038] In the specific structural design of the embodiment, the differentiated forms of the three types of hooks can accurately adapt to the anatomical features of the mouse oral cavity. The first ring-shaped hook 22 of the upper tooth hook 2 and the third ring-shaped hook 42 of the lower tooth hook 4 are both closed ring structures that are almost vertically downward, so that the upper and lower incisors of the mouse are completely fitted into the ring. When a traction force acts on the hook, the vertically oriented ring-shaped hook can uniformly transmit the pulling force to the root of the incisors, avoiding local stress concentration, and at the same time forcing the mouse mandible to naturally move downward, achieving a stable open state of the oral cavity; this design effectively utilizes the physiological curvature of the mouse incisors, ensuring that the instrument is not easily slipped during hooking.
[0039] The second ring-shaped hook 32 of the cheek hook 3 forms a corresponding structure through the double curvature of “bending downward + extending backward”. The downward bending part fits the contour of the mouse cheek, and the backward extending closed ring structure penetrates deep into the lateral back of the oral cavity, and can be hooked at the cheek mucosa folds. This form can avoid pressing the mouse's zygoma when laterally pulling the cheek, while fully exposing the molar region. The design of extending backward can form an appropriate angle between the direction of the traction force and the oral cavity axis, which is adjusted according to the position of the mouse oral cavity, which not only helps to maintain the open state, but also prevents the hook from blocking the experimental field of view.
[0040] The multi-stage adjustment design of the fixed segments of the three types of hooks is the main means to strengthen the adaptability in this embodiment. The operator can select the first fixing member 24, the second fixing member 34 or the third fixing member at different positions to be connected with the bottom fixing member 11 of the operation bottom plate 1 according to the opening degree requirement corresponding to the size of the mouse skull. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the operation bottom plate 1 of the embodiment, three such ring-shaped fixing members are configured for each hook. By adjusting and selecting a specific fixing member, the traction force and angle of each ring-shaped hook can be controlled, for example, increasing the traction amplitude of the upper tooth hook 2 can improve the exposure range of the maxilla, and adjusting the traction amplitude of the cheek hook 3 can control the expansion degree of the oral lateral wall. The modular structure of the embodiment makes the device flexible to adapt to the anatomical differences of different strains of mice, ensuring the repeatability of the experiment.
[0041] The closed ring structure of each ring-shaped hook can also correspondingly ensure the safety of the operation on the mouse. In this embodiment, the edge is preferably smooth and continuous, so as to avoid scratching the oral mucosa of the mouse during hooking, and the diameter of the ring body should meet the passing requirement of the largest incisor of the mouse, preventing the instrument from being too deep and causing injury. The hook structure of the embodiment can also reduce the accidental unhooking rate when the mouse consciously struggles, improving the operation reliability.
[0042] Embodiment 3 On the basis of any of the above embodiments, the embodiment further optimizes the device in terms of changing the degree of backward inclination of the mouse head.
[0043] For example Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the upper surface of the operation base plate 1 is also provided with a head recess 12, the bottom of which is at the same height as the upper surface of the operation base plate 1, and the recess around it protrudes from the operation base plate 1; the head recess 12 is used to accommodate and assist in fixing the left and right sides of the head of the mouse when it is supine on the operation base plate 1; the upper surface of the operation base plate 1 is also provided with a neck support 13, which is used to support the neck of the mouse when it is supine on the operation base plate 1 to make its head in a backward-tilted state.
[0044] As shown in Figure 5 , the neck support 13 comprises a neck contact 131 and a plurality of height adjustment pieces 132 with different thicknesses; the neck contact 131 is connected with any one or more height adjustment pieces 132, so as to change the overall height of the neck support 13, and further change the backward-tilting angle of the head of the mouse; the position on the upper surface of the operation base plate 1 corresponding to the neck support 13, and the upper surface of each height adjustment piece 132 are provided with a positioning column 133; the lower surface of each height adjustment piece 132 and the lower surface of the neck contact 131 are provided with a positioning hole matched with the positioning column 133.
[0045] This embodiment is designed for the optimization of mouse head fixation, the head recess 12 can be naturally fitted with the occipital bone of the mouse to limit the left and right deviation of the head; the neck support 13 realizes precise adjustment through replaceable height adjustment pieces 132. The operator selects height adjustment pieces 132 with different thicknesses to combine with the neck contact 131, and uses the plug-in cooperation of the positioning column 133 and the positioning hole for rapid assembly. When the support height is increased, the neck of the mouse is gently lifted, prompting the head to form a backward-tilting angle of 15 to 45 degrees, at which time the gap between the throat and the lower jaw is enlarged, significantly improving the visibility of the deep structure of the oral cavity. This design not only avoids the angle deviation caused by traditional manual fixation, but also dynamically adjusts the exposure range according to experimental needs, for example, a slight backward-tilting is suitable for oral administration, and a larger angle is convenient for throat micro-operation. The neck contact 131 itself can also use a silicone cushion to further distribute pressure and prevent tracheal compression during the experiment.
[0046] Embodiment 4 On the basis of the specific drag hook structure given in Embodiment 2, this embodiment introduces the details of the tongue depressor 5 additionally preferred in the device.
[0047] As shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the device further comprises a tongue depressor 5 rotatably connected with the lower tooth drag hook 4, which is used to push the tongue of the mouse to the left or right side of its oral cavity after the mouse has achieved head fixation and oral cavity exposure, realizing further exposure of the inside of the oral cavity of the mouse.
[0048] The tongue-pressing piece 5 is composed of a connecting rod 51 and a tongue-pressing plate 53. The connecting rod 51 is rotatably connected to the third hook section 41 through a rotating shaft 52. The tongue-pressing plate 53 directly contacts the mouse tongue and pushes the mouse tongue to the left or right side of the mouse mouth when the connecting rod 51 rotates.
[0049] A platform for bearing the rotating shaft 52 is formed on the third hook section 41. When the connecting rod 51 is rotatably connected to the third hook section 41 through the rotating shaft 52, the connecting rod 51 is located above the third hook section 41, and the tongue-pressing plate 53 connected thereto extends downward beyond the third annular hook 42 to the corresponding position of the mouse tongue in the mouth.
[0050] The connecting rod 51 is made of an elastic material with a preset elastic coefficient, and the tongue-pressing plate 53 is made of a silica gel material.
[0051] The third hook section 41 is also provided with a limiting cross rod 54 located below the corresponding position of the side of the connecting rod 51 away from the tongue-pressing plate 53. Limiting fixing members 55 are arranged on both sides of the limiting cross rod 54. When the connecting rod 51 rotates around the rotating shaft 52 and the tongue-pressing plate 53 pushes the mouse tongue to the left or right side of the mouse mouth, the side of the connecting rod 51 away from the tongue-pressing plate 53 is embedded into the limiting fixing members 55, realizing overall limiting and fixing of the tongue-pressing piece 5 and maintaining the state of the mouse tongue being located on the left or right side of the mouse mouth.
[0052] The tongue-pressing function of the present embodiment takes into account the spatial layout and biomechanics of the device. The tongue-pressing plate 53 passes above the third annular hook 42 and naturally falls into the mouse mouth. The silica gel material surface provides a gentle friction force when contacting the tongue, avoiding damage to the mucosa. The operator can smoothly push the mouse tongue to the left or right side of the mouth by rotating the connecting rod 51, fully exposing the corresponding molar area and pharyngeal structure. The preset deformation coefficient of the elastic connecting rod 51 can ensure controllable force application, providing sufficient displacement thrust and a certain amount of elastic redundancy. The key to the elastic redundancy is that the rear part of the connecting rod can be slightly bent and embedded into the limiting fixing members 55.
[0053] As shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 When the connecting rod 51 is rotated to a preset target angle, the operator can slightly elastically lift the tail end and embed it into the limiting fixing members 55. The limiting fixing members 55 preferably adopt a double-cylinder gap structure formed by two vertical cylinders to realize locking of the connecting rod 51.
[0054] The rotation connection of the tongue depressor 5 with the lower tooth retractor 4 has multiple advantages. The rotation shaft 52 is arranged on the bearing platform of the third retractor section 41, so that the rotation process of the tongue depressor 5 is always above the mouse oral cavity plane. This layout ensures that the movement track of the tongue depressor plate 53 can avoid the obstacles of the lower tooth retractor 4 itself and the mouse lower jaw teeth, and also makes the force rotation angle of the connecting rod 51 and the tongue depressor plate 53 match the physiological bending degree of the tongue. The rotation operation of the operator on the connecting rod 51 can be quickly completed and fixed, so that the mouse tongue is reliably deviated and maintained in a stable lateral exposure state, creating an ideal operation space for the minimally invasive surgery in the mouse oral cavity, such as sublingual gland injection. The arc curve and material of the silica gel tongue depressor plate 53 can further reduce the local pressure and not damage the mouse tongue, which conforms to the animal welfare standard.
Claims
1. A device for head fixation and oral cavity exposure of experimental mice, characterized in that: The utility model provides a mouse head fixing device, including operation base plate (1), upper tooth draw hook (2), cheek draw hook (3) and lower tooth draw hook (4), the operation base plate (1) is used for mouse supine on its upper surface, and the bottom plate fixing piece (11) is set up on the upper, lower, left, right side of operation base plate (1) correspondingly, when mouse supine on the operation base plate (1), the upper tooth draw hook (2) is used for hooking the upper jaw incisors of mouse, the cheek draw hook (3) is used for hooking the left and right cheek of mouse, and the lower tooth draw hook (4) is used for hooking the lower jaw incisors of mouse, and three together realize the head fixation and oral cavity exposure of mouse, the upper tooth draw hook (2) and the cheek draw hook (3) are correspondingly detachable to the bottom plate fixing piece (11) on the operation base plate (1) in the corresponding direction of the side away from the head of mouse, and the lower tooth draw hook (4) is detachable to the bottom plate fixing piece (11) on the operation base plate (1) in the corresponding direction of the side away from the head of mouse after passing from the upper body of mouse.
2. The device for head fixation and oral cavity exposure of experimental rat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper tooth draw hook (2), the cheek draw hook (3) and the lower tooth draw hook (4) are made of elastic material with a preset elastic coefficient, or are formed by a shapeable metal core.
3. The device for head fixation and oral cavity exposure of experimental rat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper tooth draw hook (2) is composed of a first draw hook segment (21) and a first fixed segment (23); the first draw hook segment (21) is provided with a first ring-shaped hook (22) at the end thereof, the first ring-shaped hook (22) is used for hooking the upper jaw incisors of mouse, and the first ring-shaped hook (22) is a closed ring structure formed by bending downward the end of the first draw hook segment (21); The first fixed segment (23) is provided with a plurality of first fixing members (24) arranged along the length direction of the upper tooth draw hook (2); when mouse supine on the operation base plate (1) and the first ring-shaped hook (22) hook the upper jaw incisors of mouse, one of the first fixing members (24) is matched and connected with the bottom plate fixing member (11) on the upper side of the operation base plate (1).
4. The device for head fixation and oral cavity exposure of laboratory rat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cheek draw hook (3) is composed of a left cheek draw hook and a right cheek draw hook arranged symmetrically, and each of the left cheek draw hook and the right cheek draw hook is composed of a second draw hook segment (31) and a second fixed segment (33); the second draw hook segment (31) is provided with a second ring-shaped hook (32) at the end thereof, the second ring-shaped hook (32) is used for hooking the left cheek or the right cheek of mouse, and the second ring-shaped hook (32) is a closed ring structure formed by bending downward and further extending backward the end of the second draw hook segment (31); The second fixed segment (33) is provided with a plurality of second fixing members (34) arranged along the length direction of the left cheek draw hook or the right cheek draw hook; when mouse supine on the operation base plate (1) and the left cheek draw hook hook the left cheek of mouse or the right cheek draw hook hook the right cheek of mouse, one of the second fixing members (34) on the left cheek draw hook or the right cheek draw hook is matched and connected with the bottom plate fixing member (11) on the left side or the right side of the operation base plate (1).
5. The device for head fixation and oral cavity exposure of laboratory rat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom plate fixing part (11) is a cylindrical structure arranged on the upper surface of the operation bottom plate (1); the far side of the upper tooth hook (2), the cheek hook (3) and the lower tooth hook (4) from the mouse head is correspondingly provided with a plurality of annular fixing parts; when the upper tooth hook (2), the cheek hook (3) or the lower tooth hook (4) is connected with the bottom plate fixing part (11), one of the annular fixing parts is sleeved on the corresponding cylindrical structure.
6. The device for head fixation and oral cavity exposure of laboratory rat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper surface of the operation bottom plate (1) is further provided with a head recess (12), the bottom of the head recess (12) is at the same height with the upper surface of the operation bottom plate (1), and the recess around the head recess (12) protrudes from the operation bottom plate (1); the head recess (12) is used for accommodating and assisting to fix the left and right sides of the head of the mouse when the mouse is supine on the operation bottom plate (1); the upper surface of the operation bottom plate (1) is further provided with a neck support (13), the neck support (13) is used for supporting the neck of the mouse when the mouse is supine on the operation bottom plate (1) to make the head of the mouse in a backward-tilted state.
7. The device for head fixation and oral cavity exposure of laboratory rat according to claim 6, characterized in that: The neck support (13) comprises a neck contact part (131) and a plurality of height adjusting parts (132) with different thicknesses; the neck contact part (131) is connected with any one or more of the height adjusting parts (132), so as to change the overall height of the neck support (13), and further change the backward-tilting angle of the head of the mouse; the position corresponding to the neck support (13) on the upper surface of the operation bottom plate (1) and the upper surface of each height adjusting part (132) are provided with a positioning column (133); the lower surface of each height adjusting part (132) and the lower surface of the neck contact part (131) are provided with a positioning hole matched with the positioning column (133).
8. The device for head fixation and oral cavity exposure of laboratory rat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower tooth hook (4) is composed of a third hook segment (41) and a third fixed segment; the third hook segment (41) is provided with a third annular hook (42) at the end; the third annular hook (42) is used for hooking the lower jaw and the front teeth of the mouse; the third annular hook (42) is a closed annular structure formed by bending the end of the third hook segment (41) downward; The third fixed segment is provided with a plurality of third fixing parts arranged along the length direction of the lower tooth hook; when the mouse is supine on the operation bottom plate (1) and the third annular hook hooks the lower jaw and the front teeth of the mouse, one of the third fixing parts is matched and connected with the bottom plate fixing part (11) on the lower side of the operation bottom plate (1).
9. The device for head fixation and oral cavity exposure of laboratory rodents according to claim 8, characterized in that: The device further comprises a tongue depressor (5) rotationally connected with the lower tooth hook (4); the tongue depressor (5) is used for pushing the tongue of the mouse to the left side or the right side of the oral cavity of the mouse to further expose the inside of the oral cavity of the mouse when the head of the mouse is fixed and the oral cavity is exposed.
10. The device for head fixation and oral cavity exposure of laboratory rodents according to claim 9, characterized in that: The tongue pressing piece (5) is composed of a connecting rod (51) and a tongue pressing plate (53), the connecting rod (51) is rotatably connected to the third hook section (41) through a rotating shaft (52), and the tongue pressing plate (53) directly contacts the mouse tongue and pushes the mouse tongue to the left or right side of the mouse mouth when the connecting rod (51) rotates; A platform for bearing the rotating shaft (52) is formed on the third hook section (41), when the connecting rod (51) is rotatably connected to the third hook section (41) through the rotating shaft (52), the connecting rod (51) is located above the third hook section (41), and the tongue pressing plate (53) connected to the connecting rod (51) extends downward to the corresponding position of the mouse tongue in the mouth after passing over the third annular hook (42); The material of the connecting rod (51) is an elastic material with a preset elastic coefficient, and the material of the tongue pressing plate (53) is silica gel; A limiting cross rod (54) is further arranged on the third hook section (41), the limiting cross rod (54) is located below the corresponding position of the side of the connecting rod (51) away from the tongue pressing plate (53), limiting fixing members (55) are arranged on both sides of the limiting cross rod (54), after the connecting rod (51) rotates around the rotating shaft (52) and the tongue pressing plate (53) pushes the mouse tongue to the left or right side of the mouse mouth, the side of the connecting rod (51) away from the tongue pressing plate (53) is embedded into the limiting fixing members (55), the overall limiting and fixing of the tongue pressing piece (5) is realized, and the state that the mouse tongue is located on the left or right side of the mouse mouth is maintained.