Variation with age in the numbers of ovulated ova and follicles of Wistar-Imamichi adult rats superovulated with eCG-hCG.
There are large variations with age in the number of ovulated ova found in superovulated female Wistar-Imamichi rats. In this study we investigated the numbers of ovulated ova and follicles with the aim of developing a superovulation technique that minimises variations. We also examined the number of non-atretic follicles in untreated rats aged 7-14 weeks, for each week of age. The numbers of 250-549 microm non-atretic follicles in untreated rats and the numbers of ovulated ova in superovulated rats both reached a peak at 12 weeks of age. The coefficients of variation for both follicle numbers and ova numbers changed with each week of age, reaching a maximum at 9 weeks of age and a minimum at 12 weeks of age. In order to achieve stable numbers of ova from superovulated rats, satisfactory results will be achieved using 12-week-old rats, minimising individual variations, with high numbers of ova.
Kagabu
Satosi
S
Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University, Yoshida, Yamaguchi, Japan.
Umezu
Motoaki
M
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006064:Gonadotropins, Equine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010063:Ovum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013480:Superovulation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D006064:Gonadotropins, Equine