Ovarian imaging in the mouse using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM): a validation study
Carmen N. Mircea A , Marla E. Lujan A , Rajesh S. Jaiswal B , Jaswant Singh B , Gregg P. Adams B and Roger A. Pierson A CA Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 0W8, Canada.
B Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5B4, Canada.
C Corresponding author. Email: pierson@erato.usask.ca
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 21(4) 579-586 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD08295
Submitted: 16 December 2008 Accepted: 16 February 2009 Published: 17 April 2009
Abstract
The mouse is a well accepted model for studies of human reproduction despite little being known about follicle dynamics in this species. Longitudinal studies of mouse folliculogenesis have been hampered by the lack of an appropriate imaging tool. Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) may overcome this obstacle as it confers near-microscopic resolution through the use of high-frequency ultrasound waves. The objective of the present study was to determine whether UBM could be used to count and measure ovarian follicles and corpora lutea (CL) reliably in mice. Ovaries of 25 adult CD-1 mice were imaged using a 55-MHz transducer and then excised and processed for histology. Follicles and CL were counted and measured from digitally stored UBM cine-loops and photographed histological sections. Differences between techniques were assessed by Bland-Altman agreement analyses. Follicle counts yielded by the two techniques varied by only ± 1 follicle when follicles ranged between 300 and 499 μm. Perfect agreement among counts was evident when follicles were >500 μm. The total number of CL was accurately estimated using UBM; however, the number of 350–699 μm CL was underestimated and the number of CL ≥700 μm was overestimated. In conclusion, UBM can be used reliably to count and measure follicles in mice.
Additional keywords: corpora lutea, histology, ovarian follicles, ultrasonography.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR, MOP 11489), and resources of the Reproductive Science and Medicine Research Group, University of Saskatchewan. C.N.M. and M.E.L. were supported by Strategic Training Initiative in Research in the Reproductive Health Sciences (STIRRHS) scholarships awarded by the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Canada (APOG) and CIHR.
Baerwald, A. R. , Adams, G. P. , and Pierson, R. A. (2003). Characterisation of ovarian follicular wave dynamics in women. Biol. Reprod. 69, 1023–1031.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | CAS |
Mandl, A. M. , and Zuckerman, S. (1952). Cyclical changes in the number of medium and large follicles in the adult rat ovary. J. Endocrinol. 8, 341–346.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | CAS |
Numazawa, A. , and Kawashima, S. (1982). Morphometric studies on ovarian follicles and corpora lutea during the oestrous cycle in the mouse. J. Reprod. Fertil. 64, 275–283.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | CAS |
Pallares, P. , and Gonzalez-Bulnes, A. (2008). The feasibility of ultrasound biomicroscopy for non-invasive and sequential assessment of ovarian features in rodents. Reprod. Biol. 8, 279–284.
| PubMed |
Pallares, P. , Fernandez-Valle, M. E. , and Gonzalez-Bulnes, A. (2009). In vivo virtual histology of mouse embryogenesis by ultrasound biomicroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging. Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 21, 283–292.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | CAS |
Pierson, R. A. , and Ginther, O. J. (1984). Ultrasonography of the bovine ovary. Theriogenology 21, 495–504.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | CAS |
Pierson, R. A. , and Ginther, O. J. (1985a). Ultrasonic evaluation of the corpus luteum of the mare. Theriogenology 23, 795–806.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | CAS |
Pierson, R. A. , and Ginther, O. J. (1985b). Ultrasonic evaluation of the preovulatory follicle in the mare. Theriogenology 24, 359–368.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | CAS |
Pierson, R. A. , and Ginther, O. J. (1987). Ultrasonographic appearance of the bovine uterus during the oestrous cycle. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 190, 995–1001.
| PubMed | CAS |
Quirk, S. M. , Hickey, G. J. , and Fortune, J. E. (1986). Growth and regression of ovarian follicles during the follicular phase of the oestrous cycle in heifers undergoing spontaneous and PGF-2-alpha-induced luteolysis. J. Reprod. Fertil. 77, 211–219.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | CAS |
Rose, U. M. , Hanssen, R. G. , and Kloosterboer, H. J. (1999). Development and characterisation of an in vitro ovulation model using mouse ovarian follicles. Biol. Reprod. 61, 503–511.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | CAS |
Turnbull, D. H. , Bloomfield, T. S. , Baldwin, H. S. , Foster, F. S. , and Joyner, A. L. (1995). Ultrasound backscatter microscope analysis of early mouse embryonic brain development. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92, 2239–2243.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | CAS |
Zhou, Y. Q. , Foster, F. S. , Qu, D. W. , Zhang, M. , Harasiewicz, K. A. , and Adamson, S. L. (2002). Applications for multifrequency ultrasound biomicroscopy in mice from implantation to adulthood. Physiol. Genomics 10, 113–126.
| PubMed | CAS |
