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Responsiveness of rabbits to superovulation treatment by a single injection of follicle‐stimulating hormone with aluminum hydroxide gel
Author(s) -
Hashimoto Shu,
Kimura Koji,
Kuramochi Takashi,
Aoyagi Kazuki,
Hirako Makoto,
Kawaguchi Mamoru,
Iwata Hisataka,
Hirao Masao,
Kitada Kensaku,
Hirasawa Kazuo,
Ueda Masatsugu
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/mrd.20672
Subject(s) - saline , medicine , endocrinology , biology , follicle stimulating hormone , hormone , andrology , follicle , luteinizing hormone
Aluminum hydroxide gel (Al‐gel), which is used as an adjuvant, can absorb macromolecules. We investigated the applicability of Al‐gel to the sustained release of follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) as a simplified method of superovulation (SOV) in rabbits. The responsiveness of rabbits to SOV by a single injection of FSH dissolved in Al‐gel suspension (3.2 mg Al/ml) and in 10% (w/v) polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and by multiple injections of FSH in saline was examined. The numbers of total and fertilized eggs recovered from rabbits treated with FSH in Al‐gel (40.5 and 26.3, respectively) were similar to multiple injections (47.4 and 28.6, respectively) and were significantly greater ( P < 0.05) than single injection of FSH with PVP (17.3 and 11.5, respectively). We also compared the plasma FSH levels of rabbits which were induced SOV by multiple or a single injection of Al‐gel. Al‐gel provided sustained release of FSH to the blood stream at a high enough dose for SOV. Moreover, the developmental competence of the pups of DNA‐injected embryos from rabbits treated with a single injection of FSH mixed with Al‐gel (18%) was similar to that of DNA‐injected embryos, recovered from rabbits treated with FSH dissolved in saline (21%). Two transgenic pups were obtained from embryos recovered from rabbits by a single injection of FSH with Al‐gel. These results indicate that a single injection of FSH with Al‐gel is an effective method for SOV of rabbit and that this technique is applicable to research requiring large numbers of rabbit embryos such as the production of transgenic rabbits. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 74: 1208–1212, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.