Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Road, 3605 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77204, USA.
J Biomed Opt. 2011 Apr;16(4):046004. doi: 10.1117/1.3560300.
Although the mouse is a superior model to study mammalian embryonic development, high-resolution live dynamic visualization of mouse embryos remain a technical challenge. We present optical coherence tomography as a novel methodology for live imaging of mouse embryos through the uterine wall thereby allowing for time lapse analysis of developmental processes and direct phenotypic analysis of developing embryos. We assessed the capability of the proposed methodology to visualize structures of the living embryo from embryonic stages 12.5 to 18.5 days postcoitus. Repetitive in utero embryonic imaging is demonstrated. Our work opens the door for a wide range of live, in utero embryonic studies to screen for mutations and understand the effects of pharmacological and toxicological agents leading to birth defects.
虽然老鼠是研究哺乳动物胚胎发育的优秀模型，但要对老鼠胚胎进行高分辨率的实时动态可视化仍然是一项技术挑战。我们提出了光学相干断层扫描作为一种新的方法，通过子宫壁对老鼠胚胎进行实时成像，从而可以对发育过程进行延时分析，并直接对发育中的胚胎进行表型分析。我们评估了该方法从受孕后 12.5 天到 18.5 天的胚胎阶段对活体胚胎结构进行可视化的能力。重复性的宫内胚胎成像得到了验证。我们的工作为广泛的活体宫内胚胎研究开辟了道路，可以筛选突变并了解导致出生缺陷的药理学和毒理学因素的影响。
