A Chinese medicine sitz bath device for experimental mice

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of biological experimental equipment technology, specifically to a herbal sitz bath device for laboratory mice. The device includes several mouse cages suspended above a water bath, a fixture mounted on the side wall of each cage, and a sitz bath window adjuster mounted at the bottom of each cage. The fixture is used to softly hold the mouse within the cage and allows it to slide upwards to exit. The sitz bath window adjuster is used to adjust the size of the opening at the bottom of the cage to accommodate mice of different sizes with their anal area exposed in the herbal solution. This invention utilizes a fixture composed of soft clips and a sliding plate. An arc-shaped airbag elastically holds the mouse's limbs and presses them onto the sliding plate. The height of the sliding plate is customized according to the distance between the mouse's forelimbs and hindlimbs. This achieves the goal of avoiding hard damage to the mouse during holding while allowing the mouse to slide upwards and its head to smoothly exit the cage when the fixture is lifted. This solves the technical problems of traditional fixation methods, which easily lead to stress, friction damage, and difficulty in removal from the mouse.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of biological experimental equipment technology, specifically to a traditional Chinese medicine sitz bath device for laboratory mice. Background Technology

[0002] Laboratory mice are often used to establish models of anal and tail diseases such as hemorrhoids, ulcers, and dermatitis to simulate related human symptoms and evaluate the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine. Sitz baths are a common external treatment method in traditional Chinese medicine surgery for these diseases. However, in preclinical animal experiments, due to the small size, active nature, and unique tail structure of mice, it is quite difficult to achieve standardized administration of medication via sitz baths.

[0003] Patent application CN202010882526.2 discloses a rat medicated bath device, including a bath box with a detachable bath tub inside. A partition is fixed inside the bath tub, and medicated bath mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the partition. Each medicated bath mechanism includes a bathtub, one end of which is hinged to the side of the partition. A rat sleeve is slidably connected inside the bathtub. Several first through holes are opened on the side and bottom of the bathtub. A stirring mechanism is slidably connected to the bottom end of the bathtub near the partition. A heating mechanism is provided on the bottom surface of the bath box cavity. A pressing mechanism is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the top of the bath box. The top of the bath box has a lid with several air holes. This device provides rats with suitable space to move during medicated bathing, effectively securing them within this space, reducing sedimentation of the medicated solution in the bath tub, and improving the accuracy of medicated bath experimental data.

[0004] However, this method primarily uses a bathtub, a rat sleeve, and a pressing mechanism for fixation and medicated bathing. However, the device is structurally complex, and the rat sleeve requires the entire animal to be encased. For smaller mice that struggle more violently, this not only makes it difficult to fit different sizes but also easily leads to stress or injury due to improper fixation. Furthermore, the fixed contact area of ​​the medicated solution cannot be precisely adjusted according to the size of the mouse's lesions, affecting the consistency of the sitz bath site and the accuracy of experimental results. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a specialized sitz bath device for mice that can flexibly adjust the exposure window according to different body sizes and allows for flexible fixation and injury-free removal of the mice. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to overcome the defects in the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide a traditional Chinese medicine sitz bath device for laboratory mice to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a sitz bath device for laboratory mice, which uses a water bath box equipped with a temperature control system for sitz bathing mice. The device includes several mouse cages suspended above the water bath box, a fixture installed on the side wall of the mouse cage, and a sitz bath window adjuster installed at the bottom port of the mouse cage. The fixture is used to softly hold the mouse in the mouse cage and can slide upward to send the mouse out. The sitz bath window adjuster is used to adjust the size of the opening at the bottom of the mouse cage to accommodate mice of different sizes with their anal area exposed in the medicinal water. The fixture consists of a pair of soft buckles and a sliding plate arranged opposite to each other and sliding inside the side wall of the cage. Both the soft buckles and the sliding plate are arc-shaped, wherein the axial height of the sliding plate is greater than the axial height of the soft buckles. The sitz bath window adjuster includes a bottom cover fixedly fitted inside the bottom of the mouse cage, several sealing pieces arranged in a ring on the bottom surface of the bottom cover, and a rotating sleeve fitted outside the bottom of the bottom cover. The sealing pieces are slidably connected to the bottom cover and move radially along the bottom cover. The rotating sleeve is slidably connected to the sealing pieces and moves along the circumferential path of the rotating sleeve. By rotating the rotating sleeve, the size of the sitz bath window can be adjusted by causing the several sealing pieces to separate or move closer together.

[0007] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the soft buckle is composed of an arc-shaped airbag and a circular arc plate for fixing. The circular arc plate has an integrally formed frame in the middle of its convex arc surface. The frame is square and has a threaded rod on its center line. One end of the threaded rod is rotatably connected to the circular arc plate.

[0008] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the sidewall of the rat cage is provided with radially symmetrical grooves that extend along the central axis of the rat cage.

[0009] As a further improvement to this technical solution, a sliding sleeve is adapted to be provided on the outside of the sleeve frame. The outer end of the sliding sleeve is threadedly connected to the threaded rod, and the sliding sleeve is horizontally limited and locked into a sliding groove.

[0010] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the bottom of the convex arc surface of the sliding plate is provided with a protrusion that is horizontally limited and engaged with another sliding groove.

[0011] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the bottom surface of the cover has an opening in the middle area, and the solid area of ​​its bottom surface is provided with a number of guide grooves at equal intervals in a ring shape. The guide grooves are arranged radially along the bottom cover. The sealing piece is a fan-shaped block and a sliding post is vertically embedded at its large arc length edge. The sliding post is inserted into the guide groove.

[0012] As a further improvement to this technical solution, silicone strips are fixedly provided on the two long side walls of the guide groove to clamp the sliding column and seal the guide groove.

[0013] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the bottom surface of the bottom cover is provided with a guide block between every two adjacent guide grooves, and the two ends of the sealing piece are parallel surfaces and are engaged and slid with the two adjacent guide blocks.

[0014] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the bottom surface of the rotating sleeve is a circular surface with a central opening, and several inclined grooves are formed in a ring on the circular surface. The bottom end of the sliding column passes through the inclined grooves and is limited by a round cap.

[0015] As a further improvement to this technical solution, an aeration pipe is provided on the central axis of the water bath, and a support ring is fitted on the aeration pipe for hanging several rat cages.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. This experimental mouse herbal sitz bath device uses a fixator consisting of a soft buckle and a sliding plate. The curved airbag elastically clamps the mouse's limbs and presses them onto the sliding plate. The height of the sliding plate is customized according to the distance between the mouse's forelimbs and hindlimbs. This achieves the goal of avoiding hard damage to the mouse during clamping while allowing the mouse to slide upwards and its head to extend smoothly out of the cage when the fixator is lifted. This solves the technical problems of traditional fixation methods that easily lead to stress, friction damage, and difficulty in removal of the mouse, thus achieving the technical effect of improving animal welfare and the convenience of experimental operation.

[0017] 2. The experimental mouse herbal sitz bath device uses a sitz bath window adjuster consisting of a bottom cover, several sealing plates, and a rotating sleeve at the bottom of the mouse cage. The rotating sleeve rotates to drive the sealing plates to slide radially, thereby achieving stepless adjustment of the size of the opening at the bottom of the mouse cage. This solves the problem that a single-size window cannot adapt to the needs of mice of different sizes or different lesion areas, and achieves the technical effect of accurately exposing the mouse's anal area to the herbal solution and ensuring the consistency of the herbal bath site.

[0018] 3. The herbal sitz bath device for experimental mice uses an aeration pipe installed on the central axis of the water bath and an axial flow fan installed on the same axis. The fan blows air into the herbal solution from the air outlet at the bottom of the aeration pipe, creating disturbance and thus achieving continuous stirring of the herbal solution in the water bath. This solves the problem of precipitation of active ingredients or temperature stratification of the herbal solution during constant temperature static setting, and achieves the technical effect of maintaining the homogeneity and temperature stability of the herbal solution. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Furthermore, the shapes and proportions of the components in the drawings are merely illustrative to aid in understanding the invention and do not specifically limit the shapes and proportions of the components. Those skilled in the art, guided by the teachings of this invention, will select various possible shapes and proportions to implement the invention according to specific circumstances.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall assembly structure of the present invention; Figure 2 For the present invention Figure 1 Top view; Figure 3 This is a partial exploded view of the water bath tank of the present invention; Figure 4 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the assembly structure of the mouse cage, fixture, and sitz bath window adjuster of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a second schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the mouse cage, fixture, and bath window adjuster of the present invention. Figure 6 This is an exploded view of the fixator of the present invention; Figure 7 For the present invention Figure 4 Top view; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the sitz bath window adjuster of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom cover structure of the present invention; Figure 10 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the assembly structure of the rotating sleeve and several sealing pieces of the present invention; Figure 11 This is the second schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the rotating sleeve and several sealing pieces of the present invention; The meanings of the labels in the diagram are as follows: 100. Water bath tank; 110. Tank lid; 111. Lid opening; 120. Axial flow fan; 121. Aeration pipe; 122. Air outlet pipe; 130. Rat cage; 131. Slide chute; 140. Support ring bracket; 200. Fixture; 210. Soft buckle; 211. Sleeve frame; 220. Sliding plate; 230. Threaded rod; 231. Sliding sleeve; 300. Sitz bath window adjuster; 310. Base cover; 311. Guide groove; 312. Guide block; 320. Sealing plate; 321. Sliding column; 330. Rotating sleeve; 331. Inclined groove; 332. Flexible ring; 340. Protective ring. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The details of the present invention can be more clearly understood by referring to the accompanying drawings and the description of specific embodiments. However, the specific embodiments of the present invention described herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the invention in any way. Under the teachings of this invention, those skilled in the art will conceive of any possible variations of the invention, all of which should be considered within the scope of the invention. The terms "installation" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly, referring to direct connection as well as indirect connection through an intermediate medium.

[0022] The terms "central axis," "vertical," "horizontal," "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer" used herein to indicate orientation or positional relationships are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, in the description of the invention, "a number" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0023] Please see Figures 1-3 As shown, this invention provides a sitz bath device for laboratory mice. A water bath 100 equipped with a temperature control system is used for sitz baths of mice to maintain a constant temperature. The temperature control system includes a heater, a temperature sensor, and a controller, which are existing technologies and will not be described in detail here. The sitz bath device includes several mouse cages 130 suspended above the water bath 100, a fixture 200 installed on the side wall of the mouse cage 130, and a sitz bath window adjuster 300 installed at the bottom port of the mouse cage 130. The fixture 200 is used to softly hold the mouse within the mouse cage 130 and can slide upwards to release the mouse. The sitz bath window adjuster 300 is used to adjust the size of the opening at the bottom of the mouse cage 130 to accommodate mice of different sizes with their anal area exposed in the medicinal solution.

[0024] An aeration pipe 121 is installed on the central axis of the water bath 100. A support ring 140 is fitted on the aeration pipe 121. The support ring 140 is fixed to the contact wall of the aeration pipe 121 by bolts and is used to hang several rat cages 130, which serves to suspend the rat cages 130 for lifting. An air outlet pipe 122 is fitted at the bottom end of the aeration pipe 121. An axial flow fan 120 is coaxially installed at the top end of the aeration pipe 121. The bottom end of the air outlet pipe 122 is fixedly connected to the bottom surface inside the water bath 100. An air outlet is opened on the bottom side wall of the air outlet pipe 122. The air blown by the axial flow fan 120 enters the water bath 100 through the air outlet to disturb the medicine solution, which solves the problem of precipitation of effective ingredients in the medicine solution during constant temperature static setting and achieves the goal of maintaining the homogeneity of the medicine solution.

[0025] A cover 110 is fixedly fitted onto the outside of the aeration pipe 121. The cover 110 is fitted onto the top of the water bath 100 to prevent rapid heat loss. The top surface of the cover 110 has several openings 111 and small holes in a ring at equal intervals. The openings 111 fit onto the mouse cage 130, so that the bottom of the mouse cage 130 is placed inside the water bath 100, allowing the mouse's anal area to come into contact with the medicated bath. The small holes are for venting to ensure stable air pressure inside the water bath 100.

[0026] like Figures 4-6As shown, the restraint 200 consists of a pair of soft buckles 210 and a sliding plate 220 arranged opposite to each other and sliding inside the side wall of the mouse cage 130 to hold the mouse inside the cage 130 for sitz bathing. In addition, after the sitz bath, the mouse's head and upper limbs can be lifted by lifting the restraint 200 to move the mouse's head and upper limbs to the top of the cage 130. Since the mouse will struggle, it will use its upper limbs to grab the top edge of the cage 130 for easy removal. Both the soft buckles 210 and the sliding plate 220 are arc-shaped, with the axial height of the sliding plate 220 being greater than that of the soft buckles 210. The axial height of the sliding plate 220 is customized according to the distance between the mouse's forelimbs and hindlimbs, so that the mouse can slide on the sliding plate 220 as a whole, avoiding friction damage between the mouse and the cage 130 when lifting the restraint 200, and also facilitating the lifting of the mouse's head out of the cage 130.

[0027] Furthermore, the soft buckle 210 is composed of an arc-shaped airbag and a circular arc plate for fixation. The circular arc plate has an integrally formed frame 211 in the center of its convex arc surface, which is injection molded from plastic. The arc-shaped airbag clamps the mouse to prevent injury and also stabilizes it by increasing friction. The frame 211 is square and has a threaded rod 230 on its center line. One end of the threaded rod 230 is rotatably connected to the circular arc plate, preventing the rotating threaded rod 230 from causing the circular arc plate to rotate. The sidewalls of the mouse cage 130 have radially symmetrically formed grooves 131 that extend along the central axis of the mouse cage 130. The frame 211 is fitted with a sliding sleeve 231. The outer end of the sliding sleeve 231 is threadedly connected to the threaded rod 230. The sliding sleeve 231 is horizontally limited and locked into a sliding groove 131. The sliding sleeve 231 is designed with slots protruding on both sides of its end to lock into the side of the sliding groove 131, thus ensuring that the sliding sleeve 231 slides up and down. The rotating threaded rod 230 is guided by the thread of the sliding sleeve 231 to drive the soft buckle 210 to clamp the mouse in the cage 130.

[0028] Furthermore, the bottom of the convex arc surface of the sliding plate 220 is provided with a protrusion that is horizontally limited and slidably engaged with another sliding groove 131. The protrusion is limited and prevented from falling off by a threaded bolt connected to the outer end of the protrusion. The mouse is held near its upper and lower limbs by two soft buckles 210, pressing the mouse onto the sliding plate 220, while it can easily slide into the mouse cage 130 for a sitz bath and lift the probe for removal.

[0029] like Figures 7-11 As shown, the sitz bath window adjuster 300 includes a bottom cover 310 fixedly fitted inside the bottom end of the mouse cage 130, a plurality of sealing pieces 320 distributed in a ring on the bottom surface of the bottom cover 310, and a rotating sleeve 330 fitted outside the bottom of the bottom cover 310. The sealing pieces 320 are slidably connected to the bottom cover 310 and move radially along the bottom cover 310. The rotating sleeve 330 is slidably connected to the sealing pieces 320 and moves along the circumferential path of the rotating sleeve 330. By rotating the rotating sleeve 330, the plurality of sealing pieces 320 are moved apart or closer together, thereby adjusting the size of the sitz bath window.

[0030] Furthermore, the bottom cover 310 has an opening in the central area of ​​its bottom surface, and its solid bottom surface is provided with several guide grooves 311 arranged in a ring at equal intervals. The guide grooves 311 are arranged radially along the bottom cover 310. The sealing piece 320 is a fan-shaped block with a sliding post 321 vertically embedded at its long arc edge. The sliding post 321 is inserted into the guide groove 311, so that the sealing piece 320 is away from the central opening of the bottom cover 310, thereby expanding the sitz bath window. A protective ring 340 is fitted at the bottom edge of the bottom cover 310. The protective ring 340 is a funnel-shaped silicone ring, which can not only seal and prevent leakage, but also reduce friction on the mouse skin, and can be adapted to mice of different sizes to sit firmly, so that the anal area is exposed for medicated bath.

[0031] Furthermore, silicone strips are fixedly provided on the two long sidewalls of the guide groove 311 to clamp the sliding column 321 and seal the guide groove 311, so that the sliding column 321 plays a sealing role during sliding. The bottom solid area of ​​the bottom cover 310 is provided with guide blocks 312 between each two adjacent guide grooves 311. The two ends of the sealing piece 320 are parallel surfaces and are engaged and slid with the two adjacent guide blocks 312 to guide the sealing piece 320 to slide horizontally without rotating, ensuring that when several sealing pieces 320 are close together, they form a ring and reduce the size of the sitz bath window.

[0032] Furthermore, the bottom surface of the rotating sleeve 330 is a circular surface with a central opening. Several inclined grooves 331 are formed on the circular surface. The bottom end of the sliding column 321 passes through the inclined grooves 331 and is limited by the round cap, thereby suspending the rotating sleeve 330 outside the bottom cover 310 for easy rotation and control. A flexible ring 332 made of silicone or rubber is bonded to the edge of the top surface of the rotating sleeve 330. The natural thickness of the flexible ring 332 is greater than the distance between the top surface of the rotating sleeve 330 and the bottom surface of the cage 130, so as to increase the rotational friction of the rotating sleeve 330, so as to position it at any rotational position and control the size of the opening window of several sealing pieces 320.

[0033] In use, the experimental mouse herbal sitz bath device of the present invention involves placing the mice to be tested into several cages 130. Then, rotating the threaded rod 230 of each retainer 200 pushes the soft buckle 210 to clamp the limbs of the mouse and prevent it from moving. Next, the size of the sitz bath area in the anal region is determined according to the different body sizes of the mice. By rotating the rotating sleeve 330, the misalignment of the inclined groove 331 and the guide groove 311 is utilized to allow the sliding column 321 to slide along the guide groove 311. The size of the sitz bath window can be adjusted by several sealing pieces 320 to accommodate mice of different body sizes. After the sitz bath is completed, the ring support 140 is lifted and moved out of the cage 130. Then, the retainer 200 is lifted to move the mouse to the top of the cage 130, exposing its head and upper limbs. The retainer is then released and the mouse is taken out. This sitz bath device is convenient to use and suitable for sitz baths of mice of different body sizes.

[0034] It should be noted that the fixed connection and fixing method of the present invention are achieved by conventional fixing means such as bolt connection, welding, or bonding that are compatible with each other. These are existing technologies and will not be described in detail here. The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention, and their purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly. They should not be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit and essence of the present invention should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sitz bath device for laboratory mice, comprising a water bath (100) equipped with a temperature control system for sitz bathing mice, characterized in that: The device includes several mouse cages (130) suspended above a water bath tank (100), a retainer (200) installed on the side wall of the mouse cage (130), and a sitz bath window adjuster (300) installed at the bottom port of the mouse cage (130). The retainer (200) is used to hold the mouse in the mouse cage (130) and can slide the mouse out. The sitz bath window adjuster (300) is used to adjust the size of the bottom opening of the mouse cage (130) to accommodate mice of different sizes with their anal area exposed in the medicated solution. The fixture (200) consists of a pair of soft buckles (210) and a sliding plate (220) arranged opposite to each other and sliding within the side wall of the mouse cage (130). Both the soft buckles (210) and the sliding plate (220) are arc-shaped, wherein the axial height of the sliding plate (220) is greater than the axial height of the soft buckles (210). The sitz bath window adjuster (300) includes a bottom cover (310) fixedly fitted inside the bottom of the mouse cage (130), a number of sealing pieces (320) arranged in a ring on the bottom surface of the bottom cover (310), and a rotating sleeve (330) fitted outside the bottom of the bottom cover (310). The sealing pieces (320) are slidably connected to the bottom cover (310) and move radially along the bottom cover (310). The rotating sleeve (330) is slidably connected to the sealing pieces (320) and moves along the circumferential path of the rotating sleeve (330). The size of the sitz bath window is adjusted by rotating the rotating sleeve (330) to cause the sealing pieces (320) to separate or move closer together.

2. The herbal sitz bath device for laboratory mice according to claim 1, characterized in that: The soft buckle (210) is composed of an arc-shaped airbag and a circular arc plate. The circular arc plate has an integral frame (211) in the middle of its convex arc surface. The frame (211) is square and has a threaded rod (230) on its center line. One end of the threaded rod (230) is rotatably connected to the circular arc plate.

3. The herbal sitz bath device for laboratory mice according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sidewall of the rat cage (130) is provided with radially symmetrical grooves (131), which extend along the central axis of the rat cage (130).

4. The herbal sitz bath device for laboratory mice according to claim 3, characterized in that: The sleeve (211) is fitted with a sliding sleeve (231) on the outside. The outer end of the sliding sleeve (231) is threadedly connected to the threaded rod (230). The sliding sleeve (231) is horizontally limited and locked into a sliding groove (131).

5. The herbal sitz bath device for laboratory mice according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom of the convex arc surface of the sliding plate (220) is provided with a protrusion that is horizontally limited and engaged with another sliding groove (131).

6. The herbal sitz bath device for laboratory mice according to claim 5, characterized in that: The bottom cover (310) has an opening in the middle area of ​​its bottom surface, and its bottom solid area is provided with a number of guide grooves (311) at equal intervals in a ring. The guide grooves (311) are arranged radially along the bottom cover (310). The sealing piece (320) is a fan-shaped block and a sliding post (321) is vertically embedded at its large arc length edge. The sliding post (321) is inserted into the guide groove (311).

7. The herbal sitz bath device for laboratory mice according to claim 6, characterized in that: The guide groove (311) has silicone strips fixed on its two long sidewalls for clamping the sliding column (321) and sealing the guide groove (311).

8. The herbal sitz bath device for laboratory mice according to claim 7, characterized in that: The bottom solid area of ​​the bottom cover (310) is provided with guide blocks (312) located between every two adjacent guide grooves (311), and the two ends of the sealing piece (320) are parallel surfaces and engage and slide with the two adjacent guide blocks (312).

9. The herbal sitz bath device for laboratory mice according to claim 8, characterized in that: The bottom surface of the rotating sleeve (330) is a circular surface with a central opening. Several inclined grooves (331) are provided on the circular surface. The bottom end of the sliding column (321) passes through the inclined grooves (331) and is limited by the round cap.

10. The herbal sitz bath device for laboratory mice according to claim 9, characterized in that: An aeration pipe (121) is provided on the central axis of the water bath tank (100), and a support ring (140) is fitted on the aeration pipe (121) for hanging several rat cages (130).

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