Laboratory of Anatomical Design/LabDA, Department of Morphology, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil.
General Biology Department, Biological Science Center, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, Brazil.
Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2021 Jun;304(6):1313-1328. doi: 10.1002/ar.24586. Epub 2021 Feb 12.
The present study describes the embryonic and fetal development of the central nervous system in rabbits from the seventh day after conception until the end of the full-term fetal period. A total of 19 embryonic and fetal samples were carefully dissected and microscopically analyzed. Neural tube closure was observed between 7.5 and 8 days of gestation. Primordial encephalic vesicle differentiation and spinal canal delimitation were observed on the 12th day of gestation. Histologically, on the 15th day of gestation, the brain, cerebellum, and brain stem were delimited. On the 18th day of gestation, the cervical and lumbar intumescences of the spinal cord were visible. On the 28th day of gestation, four-cell layers could be distinguished in the cerebral cortex, while the cerebellar cortex was still differentiating. Overall, the morphological aspects of the embryonic and fetal developmental phases in rabbits were highly similar to those in humans. Thus, the present study provides relevant information highlighting rabbits as an excellent candidate animal model for preclinical research on human neurological diseases given the high adaptability of rabbits to bioterium conditions and the similarity of morphological events between rabbits and humans.
本研究描述了从受孕后第 7 天到足月胎儿期结束期间，兔子中枢神经系统的胚胎和胎儿发育。共仔细解剖和分析了 19 个胚胎和胎儿样本。神经管闭合发生在妊娠第 7.5 至 8 天。妊娠第 12 天观察到原始脑泡分化和椎管划定。组织学上，妊娠第 15 天，大脑、小脑和脑干得以区分。妊娠第 18 天，脊髓的颈膨大和腰膨大都可见。妊娠第 28 天，大脑皮层可区分出四细胞层，而小脑皮层仍在分化中。总体而言，兔子胚胎和胎儿发育阶段的形态学方面与人非常相似。因此，鉴于兔子对生物设施条件的高适应性以及兔子和人类之间形态事件的相似性，本研究提供了相关信息，突出了兔子作为人类神经疾病临床前研究的优秀候选动物模型。
