Basic nutritional investigationThe effects of diet on the severity of central nervous system disease: One part of lab-to-lab variability

- Varied sources of food can impact reproducibility of results from lab to lab.
- Teklad irradiated rodent diet enhanced seizures in a mouse model of disease.
- Mice fed the Teklad irradiated rodent diet had earlier onset of EAE.
- Teklad irradiated rodent diet enhanced clinical disease in 2 EAE models.

ObjectiveMany things can impact the reproducibility of results from laboratory to laboratory. For example, food from various sources can vary markedly in composition. We examined the effects of two different food sources, the Teklad Global Soy Protein-Free Extruded Rodent Diet (irradiated diet) and the Teklad Sterilizable Rodent Diet (autoclaved diet), on central nervous system disease.MethodsThree preclinical models for human disease: Two different experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models (multiple sclerosis) and the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus-induced seizure model (epilepsy), were examined for the effects of two different food sources on disease.ResultsWe found that mice fed the irradiated diet had more severe clinical disease and enhanced seizures compared with animals provided the autoclaved diet in both experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models examined and in the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus-induced seizure model, respectively.ConclusionsTherefore, just altering the source of food (lab chow) can have marked effects on disease severity and outcome.