Development of Hairless Laboratory Guinea Pigs: The Biological Studies

The study focused on the development of hairless guinea pigs from the Razi colony, which were produced by mating with normal-haired guinea pigs. These guinea pigs exhibited hair loss starting at 8-10 days old, becoming completely hairless by 20-30 days. They had a lifespan of approximately 2 years and were euthymic with normal gonads. The study found that hairless guinea pigs had higher erythrocyte, PCV, platelet, and hemoglobin values compared to their haired counterparts, while leukocyte levels showed no significant difference. The skin of hairless guinea pigs lacked normal hair follicles and keratin. These guinea pigs were the first hairless models in Iran, suitable for research in allergy, dermal tests, transplantation, immunology, and dermal diseases.