Author:
Pasco Rachael,Gardner David K.,Walker David W.,Dickinson Hayley
Abstract
This study aimed to develop a superovulation protocol for the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus). The spiny mouse is a desert-adapted rodent species, with a long oestrus cycle (11 days) compared with rat and mouse, and gives birth to few (mean litter size is 3) precocial offspring after a relatively long gestation (39 days). We successfully optimised a superovulation protocol that elicited a 5-fold increase in the normal ovulation rate of this species. To induce superovulation in the spiny mouse 2 injections of equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG, 10 IU each), 9 h apart, were required, followed by 20 IU of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). This protocol was successful in 100% of females trialed and at 33 h post-hCG an average of 14.7 ± 1.5, 1–2 cell embryos were recovered. Histological analysis of ovaries following superovulation revealed large corpus lutea and post-ovulatory follicles occupying a large part of the ovary. Ovulation commenced 6–12 h after the hCG injection and continued until 24–33 h post-hCG as indicated by both histological analysis of ovaries and the presence of oocytes/embryos in the oviduct. This superovulation protocol will facilitate the development of an in vitro culture system for spiny mouse embryos.
Subject
Developmental Biology,Endocrinology,Genetics,Molecular Biology,Animal Science and Zoology,Reproductive Medicine,Biotechnology
Cited by
13 articles.
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