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Sampling of prenatal and postnatal offspring from individual rat dams enhances animal use without compromising developmentTo assess prenatal and postnatal developmental status in the offspring of a group of animals, it is typical to examine fetuses from some of the dams as well as infants born to the remaining dams. Statistical limitations often arise, particularly when the animals are rare or especially precious, because all offspring of the dam represent only a single statistical observation; littermates are not independent observations (biologically or statistically). We describe a study in which pregnant laboratory rats were laparotomized on day 7 of gestation (GD7) to ascertain the number and distribution of uterine implantation sites and were subjected to a simulated experience on a 10-day space shuttle flight. After the simulated landing on GD18, rats were unilaterally hysterectomized, thus providing a sample of fetuses from 10 independent uteruses, followed by successful vaginal delivery on GD22, yielding postnatal samples from 10 uteruses. A broad profile of maternal and offspring morphologic and physiologic measures indicated that these novel sampling procedures did not compromise maternal well-being and maintained normal offspring development and function. Measures included maternal organ weights and hormone concentrations, offspring body size, growth, organ weights, sexual differentiation, and catecholamine concentrations.
Document ID
20040088927
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Alberts, J. R.
(Indiana University United States)
Burden, H. W.
Hawes, N.
Ronca, A. E.
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
November 1, 1996
Publication Information
Publication: Contemporary topics in laboratory animal science / American Association for Laboratory Animal Science
Volume: 35
Issue: 6
ISSN: 1060-0558
Subject Category
Aerospace Medicine
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC2-810
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC2-870
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
NASA Discipline Developmental Biology
Non-NASA Center

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