Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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There exists a pressing need for the identification of novel analgesics. We recently reported on a new preclinical assay for rapid analgesic screening based on intraplantar (i.pl.) injection of 10% hypertonic saline (HS) in female outbred (CD-1) mice. Herein, we characterized the HS assay's performance in inbred (C57BL/6) mice, sensitivity to sex differences, and effects of diurnal rhythm phase. ⋯ These findings in inbred and outbred mice solidify the utility of the HS assay as an effective, rapid, robust, and versatile preclinical tool for analgesic screening.