RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0074, Japan.
Institute of Laboratory Animals, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2024 Apr 26;14(1):8294. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-58611-9.
Rats are multiparous rodents that have been used extensively in research; however, the low reproductive performance of some rat strains hampers the broader use of rats as a biomedical model. In this study, the possibility of increasing the litter size after natural mating in rats through superovulation using an anti-inhibin monoclonal antibody (AIMA) was examined. In outbred Wistar rats, AIMA increased the number of ovulated oocytes by 1.3-fold. AIMA did not affect fertilization and subsequent embryonic development, resulting in a 1.4-fold increase in litter size and a high pregnancy rate (86%). In contrast, conventional superovulation by eCG/hCG administration decreased the pregnancy rate to 6-40% and did not increase the litter size. In inbred Brown Norway rats, AIMA increased the litter size by 1.2-fold, and the pregnancy rate increased more than twice (86% versus 38% in controls). AIMA also increased the litter size by 1.5-fold in inbred Tokai High Avoiders and Fischer 344 rats. AIMA increased the efficiency of offspring production by 1.5-, 2.7-, 1.4-, and 1.4-fold, respectively, in the four rat strains. Thus, AIMA may consistently improve the reproductive performance through natural mating in rats, which could promote the use of AIMA in biomedical research.
大鼠是多胎啮齿动物，在研究中被广泛应用；然而，一些大鼠品系的低繁殖性能限制了大鼠作为生物医学模型的更广泛应用。在这项研究中，通过使用抗抑制素单克隆抗体（AIMA）进行超数排卵，检查了自然交配后增加大鼠窝仔数的可能性。在近交 Wistar 大鼠中，AIMA 将排卵的卵母细胞数量增加了 1.3 倍。AIMA 不影响受精和随后的胚胎发育，导致窝仔数增加 1.4 倍，妊娠率高（86%）。相比之下，常规的 eCG/hCG 给药超数排卵将妊娠率降低至 6-40%，并且不会增加窝仔数。在近交 Brown Norway 大鼠中，AIMA 将窝仔数增加了 1.2 倍，妊娠率增加了两倍以上（86%对对照组的 38%）。AIMA 还将近交 Tokai High Avoiders 和 Fischer 344 大鼠的窝仔数增加了 1.5 倍。AIMA 分别将这四个大鼠品系的后代生产效率提高了 1.5 倍、2.7 倍、1.4 倍和 1.4 倍。因此，AIMA 可能通过自然交配持续提高大鼠的繁殖性能，这将促进 AIMA 在生物医学研究中的应用。
