Predatory Stress Paradigm to Induce Anxiety-Like Behaviour in Juvenile Male C57BL/6J Mice

The present study deals with a chronic stress paradigm to induce anxiety-like behaviour in male C57Bl/6J mice, using Wistar rats as predators. The predatory stress paradigm includes placing the mice in a cage protected by a metallic screen, which is placed inside a larger metallic cage, containing adult male Wistar rats. Male mice (21 days old) were put in indirect contact with Wistar male rats for 1 h daily for 12 days. The anxiety behaviour of mice was analysed by means of elevated plus-maze test, after 12 days of predatory stress daily (first behavioural assessment) and 12 days after the stress protocol (second behavioural assessment). We demonstrate that this predatory stress paradigm induces anxiety-like behaviour in male juvenile mice C57Bl/6J. We conclude that the predatory stress paradigm used is capable of inducing anxiety in male C57Bl/6J mice after a short duration (12 days) of predatory stress with Wistar rats.