Iron-deficient diet as an experimental model to induce anemia in Balb/c mice

Dieta deficiente en hierro como modelo experimental para inducir anemia en ratones Balb/c

Authors

  • Elías Ernesto Aguirre-Siancas School of Medicine, National University of San Marcos. Lima, Peru. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4713-5511
  • Ronald de la Cruz-Rodriguez School of Medicine, National University of San Marcos. Lima, Peru.
  • Josué Guillermo Matuda-Silvestre School of Medicine, National University of San Marcos. Lima, Peru.
  • Nelly Maritza Lam-Figueroa School of Medicine, National University of San Marcos. Lima, Peru.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25176/RFMH.v2025i1.6657

Keywords:

Anemia, iron deficiency, hemoglobins, models, animals

Abstract

In order to develop an experimental model of anemia in Balb/c mice using an iron-deficient diet, an experimental and longitudinal study was conducted with 16 male Balb/c mice, four weeks old, divided into two groups: one with a standard diet and the other with an iron-deficient diet (2.83 mg/Kg). Hemoglobin levels and weight were measured at baseline and after 30 days using an EKF Diagnostic® hemoglobinometer and a Soehnle® digital scale. The Student’s t-test for independent samples was used for statistical analysis, with p<0.05 as the significance level. No significant differences were found initially; however, after 30 days, the iron-deficient diet group showed a significant reduction in

hemoglobin (5.30±1.67 g/dL vs. 15.65±0.96 g/dL; p<0.001) and weight (28.63±6.19 g vs. 38.13±2.167 g; p<0.003). The experimental model successfully induced anemia in Balb/c mice, providing a reproducible tool for preclinical studies.

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Author Biographies

Elías Ernesto Aguirre-Siancas, School of Medicine, National University of San Marcos. Lima, Peru.

PhD in Neurosciences

Ronald de la Cruz-Rodriguez, School of Medicine, National University of San Marcos. Lima, Peru.

Bachelor in Dentistry

Josué Guillermo Matuda-Silvestre, School of Medicine, National University of San Marcos. Lima, Peru.

Bachelor in Nursing

Nelly Maritza Lam-Figueroa, School of Medicine, National University of San Marcos. Lima, Peru.

MD in Medicine

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Published

2025-03-31

How to Cite

Aguirre-Siancas, E. E., de la Cruz-Rodriguez, R., Matuda-Silvestre, J. G., & Lam-Figueroa, N. M. (2025). Iron-deficient diet as an experimental model to induce anemia in Balb/c mice: Dieta deficiente en hierro como modelo experimental para inducir anemia en ratones Balb/c. Revista De La Facultad De Medicina Humana, 2025(1). https://doi.org/10.25176/RFMH.v2025i1.6657