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.
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