Valoración no invasiva de la gestación y la embriogénesis en ratón mediante técnicas de imagen ultrasonográfica

Abstract

The mouse is the laboratory animal most widely used for research purposes, due to some special characteristics like small size, easy management, short reproductive and life cycles, and, specially, its potential for genetic manipulation, which makes some mice strains exceptional models for the study of human diseases. Thus, the achievement of an adequate reproductive management including an early pregnancy diagnosis is very interesting both for running the animal facilities and designing experimental groups with adequate number of animals, avoiding unnecessary sacrifices of non-pregnant females. In human and other animal species, pregnancy diagnosis is routinely performed by direct methods based on ultrasound imaging (US), which offers the possibility of dynamic real-time studies, in short observational period, without secondary effects and at reasonable cost. By using US, besides pregnancy diagnosis, it is also possible to determine the number and viability of the embryos. US, being a non-invasive technique, allows sequential observations in successive days during pregnancy, which is very useful for developmental and fetometric studies. Thus, the general objective of current Thesis was the incorporation and validation of ultrasonography for pregnancy observation in the mouse and evaluation of its use in practice, either for management or research.