High-Frequency Ultrasound Assessment of the Murine Heart From Embryo Through to Juvenile

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the murine heart of normal embryos, neonates, and juveniles using high-frequency ultrasound. Methods: Diastolic function was measured with E/A ratio (E wave velocity/A wave velocity) and isovolumetric relaxation time (IRT), systolic function with isovolumetric contraction time (ICT), percentage fractional shortening (FS %), percentage ejection fraction (EF %). Global cardiac performance was quantified using myocardial performance index (MPI). Results: Isovolumetric relaxation time remained stable from E10.5 to 3 weeks. Systolic function (ICT) improved with gestation and remained stable from E18.5 onward. Myocardial performance index showed improvement in embryonic life (0.82- 0.63) and then stabilized from 1 to 3 week (0.60-0.58). Percentage ejection fraction remained high during gestation (77%-69%) and then decreased from the neonate to juvenile (68%-51%). Conclusion: The ultrasound biomicroscope allows for noninvasive in-depth assessment of cardiac function of embryos and pups. Detailed physiological and functional cardiac function readouts can be obtained, which is invaluable for comparison to mouse models of disease.

[1]  A. Ghanem,et al.  Increasing myocardial contraction and blood pressure in C57BL/6 mice during early postnatal development. , 2003, American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology.

[2]  M. Ishii,et al.  Serial evaluation for myocardial performance in fetuses and neonates using a new Doppler index , 1999, Pediatrics international : official journal of the Japan Pediatric Society.

[3]  M. Labow,et al.  Noninvasive, in utero imaging of mouse embryonic heart development with 40-MHz echocardiography. , 1998, Circulation.

[4]  K. Mäkikallio,et al.  Human fetal cardiac function during the first trimester of pregnancy , 2005, Heart.

[5]  L. Leatherbury,et al.  Cardiovascular assessment of fetal mice by in utero echocardiography. , 2008, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[6]  M. Mendicino,et al.  Fgl2 deficiency causes neonatal death and cardiac dysfunction during embryonic and postnatal development in mice. , 2007, Physiological genomics.

[7]  Cecilia W Lo,et al.  Fetal Mouse Imaging Using Echocardiography: A Review of Current Technology , 2006, Echocardiography.

[8]  Jing Liu,et al.  Progressive troponin I loss impairs cardiac relaxation and causes heart failure in mice. , 2007, American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology.

[9]  R Gorlin,et al.  Problems in echocardiographic volume determinations: echocardiographic-angiographic correlations in the presence of absence of asynergy. , 1976, The American journal of cardiology.

[10]  L. Leatherbury,et al.  High-frequency ultrasound database profiling growth, development, and cardiovascular function in C57BL/6J mouse fetuses. , 2004, Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography.

[11]  R. Hinton,et al.  Mouse heart valve structure and function: echocardiographic and morphometric analyses from the fetus through the aged adult. , 2008, American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology.

[12]  F Stuart Foster,et al.  Developmental changes in left and right ventricular diastolic filling patterns in mice. , 2003, American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology.

[13]  P. Grossfeld,et al.  Initial Experience with High Frequency Ultrasound for the Newborn C57BL Mouse , 2007, Echocardiography.

[14]  L. Leatherbury,et al.  Noninvasive phenotypic analysis of cardiovascular structure and function in fetal mice using ultrasound. , 2003, Birth defects research. Part C, Embryo today : reviews.

[15]  S Lee Adamson,et al.  Embryonic and neonatal phenotyping of genetically engineered mice. , 2006, ILAR journal.

[16]  D. Turnbull,et al.  40 MHz Doppler characterization of umbilical and dorsal aortic blood flow in the early mouse embryo. , 2000, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[17]  K. Svenson,et al.  ENU induced mutations causing congenital cardiovascular anomalies , 2004, Development.

[18]  J. Seward,et al.  New index of combined systolic and diastolic myocardial performance: a simple and reproducible measure of cardiac function--a study in normals and dilated cardiomyopathy. , 1995, Journal of cardiology.

[19]  J. Huhta,et al.  Doppler Echocardiography of Normal and Abnormal Embryonic Mouse Heart , 1996, Pediatric Research.

[20]  B. Kinsley,et al.  Effect of pregestational diabetes mellitus on fetal cardiac function and structure. , 2008, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[21]  Jeffrey L. Wrana,et al.  Baf60c is essential for function of BAF chromatin remodelling complexes in heart development , 2004, Nature.

[22]  E. L. Gershey,et al.  Selecting anesthetic agents for human safety and animal recovery surgery , 1991, FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

[23]  F. Mcauliffe,et al.  First‐Trimester Fetal Cardiac Function , 2008, Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

[24]  F. Foster,et al.  Abnormal cardiac inflow patterns during postnatal development in a mouse model of Holt-Oram syndrome. , 2005, American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology.