Ultrasound-Guided Intrauterine Labeling of Rat Fetuses

Gumus, Hatice Gulcin; Illa, M.; Pla, Laura; Gonzalez, A.; Demicheva, Elena; Ley, David; Crispi, F.; Gratacós, Eduard

doi:10.1159/000454766

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Second, for technical reasons, the sex of the fetus could not be determined reliably by ultrasound and therefore postnatal sex assignment in imaged fetuses has the potential for error. To address this weakness in future investigations, we intend to perform ultrasound-guided injections of a dye to label the fetuses that are imaged so they can be more robustly identified after dissection for subsequent genotyping [46]. This will provide valuable information about whether the effects on UA blood flow, MCA PI, and fetal cardiac function are sex-specific.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics cause placental dysfunction in mice

Dibbon,

Mercer,

Maekawa

et al. 2023

Biology of Reproduction

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Maternal exposure to microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) has been shown to result in fetal growth restriction in mice. In this study, we investigated the placental and fetal hemodynamic responses to plastics exposure in mice using high-frequency ultrasound. Healthy, pregnant CD-1 dams were given either 106 ng/L of 5 μm polystyrene MPs or 106 ng/L of 50 nm polystyrene NPs in drinking water throughout gestation and compared with controls. Maternal exposure to both MPs and NPs resulted in evidence of placental dysfunction that was highly dependent on the particle size. The umbilical artery blood flow increased by 48% in the MP-exposed group and decreased by 25% in the NP-exposed group compared to controls (p < 0.05). The MP- and NP-exposed fetuses showed a significant decrease in the middle cerebral artery pulsatility index of 10% and 13% respectively compared to controls (p < 0.05), indicating vasodilation of the cerebral circulation, a fetal adaptation that is part of the brain sparing response to preserve oxygen delivery. Hemodynamic markers of placental dysfunction and fetal hypoxia were more pronounced in the group exposed to polystyrene NPs, suggesting NP-exposure during human pregnancy has the potential to disrupt fetal brain development which in turn may cause suboptimal neurodevelopmental outcomes.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics cause placental dysfunction in mice

Dibbon,

Mercer,

Maekawa

et al. 2023

Biology of Reproduction

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show abstract

“…Finally, for technical reasons, the sex of the fetus could not be determined reliably by ultrasound. In the future, we plan to tag the fetuses with a dye injection 29 so they can easily be identified upon dissection to collect samples for genotyping.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal exposure to polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics impairs umbilical blood flow but not fetal growth in pregnant mice

Hanrahan,

Steeves,

Locke

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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While microplastics have been recently detected in human blood and the placenta, their impact on human health is not well understood. Using a mouse model of environmental exposure during pregnancy, our group has previously reported that exposure to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics throughout gestation results in fetal growth restriction. While polystyrene is environmentally relevant, polyethylene is the most widely produced plastic and amongst the most commonly detected microplastic in drinking water and human blood. In this study, we investigated the effect of maternal exposure to polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics on fetal growth and placental function. Healthy, pregnant CD-1 dams were divided into three groups: 106 ng/L of 740–4990 nm polyethylene with surfactant in drinking water (n = 12), surfactant alone in drinking water (n = 12) or regular filtered drinking water (n = 11). At embryonic day 17.5, high-frequency ultrasound was used to investigate the placental and fetal hemodynamic responses following exposure. While maternal exposure to polyethylene did not impact fetal growth, there was a significant effect on placental function with a 43% increase in umbilical artery blood flow in the polyethylene group compared to controls (p < 0.01). These results suggest polyethylene has the potential to cause adverse pregnancy outcomes through abnormal placental function.

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“…Experiments using in utero gene delivery methods are usually performed on mid- to late-gestational fetuses (from E9–18), probably because they are relatively easier to be identified by visual observation and also can be used in basic research on in utero gene therapy [ 15 ]. All these experiments were based on the opening of the abdominal portion of an anesthetized pregnant animal, exposure of uterine horns, and injection of a solution into a specific site of a fetus [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ] or its surrounding or associated tissues, such as placenta [ 30 , 31 , 32 ], amniotic cavity [ 13 , 14 , 26 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], and the yolk sac (YS) [ 36 ], using a glass micropipette (shown in Figure 1 B). The solution contains viral vectors (including recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs), lentiviruses, adenoviruses (Ad)), or nonviral vectors (including plasmid DNA).…”

Section: In Utero Gene Deliverymentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Genome-Editing Approaches toward Post-Implanted Fetuses in Mice

Nakamura

Inada

Saitoh

2023

BioTech

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Genome editing, as exemplified by the CRISPR/Cas9 system, has recently been employed to effectively generate genetically modified animals and cells for the purpose of gene function analysis and disease model creation. There are at least four ways to induce genome editing in individuals: the first is to perform genome editing at the early preimplantation stage, such as fertilized eggs (zygotes), for the creation of whole genetically modified animals; the second is at post-implanted stages, as exemplified by the mid-gestational stages (E9 to E15), for targeting specific cell populations through in utero injection of viral vectors carrying genome-editing components or that of nonviral vectors carrying genome-editing components and subsequent in utero electroporation; the third is at the mid-gestational stages, as exemplified by tail-vein injection of genome-editing components into the pregnant females through which the genome-editing components can be transmitted to fetal cells via a placenta-blood barrier; and the last is at the newborn or adult stage, as exemplified by facial or tail-vein injection of genome-editing components. Here, we focus on the second and third approaches and will review the latest techniques for various methods concerning gene editing in developing fetuses.

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Ultrasound-Guided Intrauterine Labeling of Rat Fetuses

Cited by 4 publications

References 29 publications

Polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics cause placental dysfunction in mice

Polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics cause placental dysfunction in mice

Maternal exposure to polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics impairs umbilical blood flow but not fetal growth in pregnant mice

Recent Genome-Editing Approaches toward Post-Implanted Fetuses in Mice

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