Yang Menglei, Ming Mengmeng, Yuan Botao, Shi Qinghua, Shi Baolu
Center for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Centre, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Bio Protoc. 2025 Aug 5;15(15):e5408. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.5408.
Infertility has emerged as a global health concern, impacting around 8%-12% of couples during their reproductive years. Due to limitations in obtaining human biological samples, mouse models have been widely used for investigating gene functions. Fertility assessment in mouse models is a critical component in reproductive biology for studying gene function and elucidating mechanisms of reproductive disorders. However, natural mating observation of mice may yield inconsistent results, especially in the absence of standard guidelines, prolonged experimental cycles, and operational complexity. This protocol establishes a comprehensive breeding strategy for evaluating murine fertility through systematic vaginal plug monitoring and litter size quantification within defined timeframes. Key steps include (1) standardized male-female pairing protocols, (2) daily vaginal plug inspection, and (3) longitudinal tracking of pregnancy outcomes. This protocol presents a straightforward and easily implementable protocol for mouse mating cage setup and statistical analysis, enabling reliable fertility assessment under natural breeding conditions. Key features • Standardized natural mating protocol combining vaginal plug monitoring (daily) and litter size tracking. • Time-optimized workflow completes fertility phenotyping in 2 months. • An easy and custom-constructed vaginal plug inspection tool for optimized vaginal plug inspection.
不孕症已成为一个全球健康问题，影响着约8%-12%处于生育年龄的夫妇。由于获取人类生物样本存在限制，小鼠模型已被广泛用于研究基因功能。小鼠模型中的生育力评估是生殖生物学中研究基因功能和阐明生殖障碍机制的关键组成部分。然而，对小鼠进行自然交配观察可能会产生不一致的结果，尤其是在缺乏标准指南、实验周期延长和操作复杂的情况下。本方案建立了一种全面的繁殖策略，通过在规定时间内系统地监测阴栓和量化产仔数来评估小鼠的生育力。关键步骤包括：（1）标准化的雌雄配对方案；（2）每日阴栓检查；（3）对妊娠结局进行纵向跟踪。本方案提供了一种简单且易于实施的小鼠交配笼设置和统计分析方案，能够在自然繁殖条件下进行可靠的生育力评估。关键特性 • 结合阴栓监测（每日）和产仔数跟踪的标准化自然交配方案。 • 经过时间优化的工作流程可在2个月内完成生育力表型分析。 • 一种易于定制构建的阴栓检查工具，用于优化阴栓检查。
