University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
J Ultrasound Med. 2012 Jun;31(6):923-32. doi: 10.7863/jum.2012.31.6.923.
This study evaluated the possible effects of ultrasound (US) on gene expression in brain tissue of rat embryos.
Four groups (n = 5 each) of pregnant Wistar Han rats were exposed to US for different durations (55, 100, 145, and 195 seconds) via a multifrequency transducer in the 2-dimensional imaging mode with a pulse duration of 1.29 microseconds, a pulse repetition frequency of 1 kHz, and a derated spatial-peak pulse-average intensity of 222.4 W/cm(2) on day 5, 9, 7, or 13 of gestation. Gene expression profiling was performed in fetal brain tissue (n = 5 per group) by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction arrays.
The results indicated substantial alterations in gene expression. The most differentially expressed genes were Adamts5, Gadd45a, Npy2r, and Chrna1, which are implicated in important developmental signaling pathways.
On the basis of our findings, routine short US examinations for monitoring fetal development are not contraindicated, but prolonged exposures should be used only when needed to obtain important diagnostic information.
本研究旨在评估超声波（US）对胚胎大鼠脑组织基因表达的可能影响。
将怀孕的 Wistar Han 大鼠分为 4 组（每组 5 只），在妊娠第 5、9、7 或 13 天，使用二维成像模式下的多频换能器以脉冲持续时间 1.29 微秒、脉冲重复频率 1 kHz 和额定空间峰值脉冲平均强度 222.4 W/cm²对胚胎进行不同时长（55、100、145 和 195 秒）的超声暴露。通过定量逆转录聚合酶链反应阵列对胎儿脑组织（每组 5 只）进行基因表达谱分析。
结果表明基因表达发生了显著改变。差异表达最明显的基因是 Adamts5、Gadd45a、Npy2r 和 Chrna1，这些基因与重要的发育信号通路有关。
基于我们的研究结果，常规的短期超声检查用于监测胎儿发育是没有禁忌的，但只有在需要获得重要诊断信息时才应使用长时间的超声暴露。
