Valdman Institute of Pharmacology, Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University, L'va Tolstogo str. 6-8, St. Petersburg 197022, Russia.
ELMI Ltd., Bukultu str. 7B, LV-1005 Riga, Latvia.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Aug 30;25(17):9429. doi: 10.3390/ijms25179429.
Determining the estrous cycle stages in mice is essential for optimizing breeding strategies, synchronizing experimental timelines, and facilitating studies in behavior, drug testing, and genetics. It is critical for reducing the production of genetically unmodified offspring in the generation and investigation of genetically modified animal models. An accurate detection of the estrus cycle is particularly relevant in the context of the 3Rs-Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement. The estrous cycle, encompassing the reproductive phases of mice, is key to refining experimental designs and addressing ethical issues related to the use of animals in research. This study presents results from two independent laboratories on the efficacy of the Mouse Estrus Detector (MED) from ELMI Ltd. (Latvia) for the accurate determination of the estrus phase. The female mice of five strains/stocks (CD1, FVB/N, C57Bl6/J, B6D2F1, and Swiss) were used. The results showed that the MEDPro is a low-traumatic, simple, rapid, and painless method of estrus detection that supports the principles of the 3Rs. The use of the MEDPro for estrus detection in mice caused minimal stress, enhanced mating efficiency, facilitated an increase in the number of embryos for in vitro fertilization, and allowed the production of the desired number of foster animals.
确定小鼠的动情周期阶段对于优化繁殖策略、同步实验时间线、促进行为、药物测试和遗传学研究至关重要。对于减少遗传修饰动物模型的产生和研究中遗传未修饰后代的产生，这一点至关重要。在 3R（替代、减少和优化）的背景下，准确检测动情周期尤为重要。动情周期包括小鼠的生殖阶段，对于优化实验设计和解决与动物在研究中的使用相关的伦理问题至关重要。本研究介绍了来自拉脱维亚 ELMI Ltd. 的 Mouse Estrus Detector (MED) 在准确确定动情期方面的两个独立实验室的结果。使用了五种品系/品系（CD1、FVB/N、C57Bl6/J、B6D2F1 和瑞士）的雌性小鼠。结果表明，MEDPro 是一种低创伤、简单、快速和无痛的发情检测方法，支持 3R 原则。使用 MEDPro 进行小鼠发情检测引起的应激最小，提高了交配效率，促进了体外受精胚胎数量的增加，并允许生产所需数量的代孕动物。
