title: Improved efficacy and safety of in utero cell transplantation in sheep using an ultrasound-guided method.
abstract: In the present study, we investigated the suitability of two methods for the transplantation of cells into ovine fetuses. The first method was an ultrasound-guided cell injection via the uterine wall. The second involved hysterotomic cell injection with an incision in the uterine wall exposing the amnion. Monkey embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived hematopoietic cells were used as donor cells. After transplantation, the abortion rate associated with the hysterotomic injection method was significantly higher than that of the ultrasound-guided injection method (8/13 versus 4/24; P < 0.01). The fetuses were delivered to examine the engraftment of transplanted monkey hematopoietic cells. Monkey cells were detected in one of the five animals (20%) in the hysterotomic injection group, and 14 of 20 animals (70%, P < 0.05) in the ultrasound-guided injection group. Therefore, the ultrasound-guided method was effectively shown to be minimally invasive for in utero transplantation and can produce a higher rate of engraftment for transplanted cells.
authors.affiliation: University Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Utsunomiya University , Tochigi, Japan . ynagao@utsunomiya-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagao
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Yujiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitano
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hanazono
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D011247:Pregnancy; D012756:Sheep; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal