Ultrasonographic and macroscopic study of pregnancy in golden hamster

• Published in: Laboratory animal research 2022, 38(1), , pp.27-33
• Main Authors: Keshavarz, Mohammad Amin, Mogheiseh, Asghar, Ahrari-Khafi, Mohammad Saeed, Mahboobi, Reza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Gestational age; Hamster; Synchronization; Ultrasound; 수의학
• ISSN: 1738-6055; 2233-7660; 2233-7660
• DOI: 10.1186/s42826-022-00112-9

Hamster is widely used as an experimental model in the study of reproductive system. However, pregnancy diagnosis and aging always have been a challenge. ultrasonography have been used in diagnosis of pregnancy in some small laboratory animals, such as rabbits, rats, and mice. Current study describes use of trans-abdominal ultrasonography for pregnancy diagnosis and fetal age estimation in golden hamster. Furthermore, a macroscopic examination was performed to evaluate the embryonic vesicle diameter, crown-rump length, and fetal head diameter. Ten adult female golden hamsters were selected and maintained under controlled light conditions (14 h light/10 h darkness). The estrous cycle was synchronized using eCG and hCG. During estrous (18 h after hCG injection), the hamsters were naturally mated. After seven days of mating, the hamsters were examined daily for pregnancy diagnosis and aging with an ultrasound scanner equipped with an 8.5-MHZ linear probe. On each day of the experiment, at least one of the pregnant hamsters was euthanized and dissected for macroscopic fetal measurements using a digital caliper. The gestational sac and crown-rump length were identified and measured by ultrasonographicly on day 7 of pregnancy and head could be visible after day 10 of gestation. Statistical analysis revealed that the ultrasound estimation of gestational age was significantly correlated with the actual age of the fetus (r = 0.98; p