title: Motion-artifact-free in vivo imaging utilizing narcotized avian embryos in ovo.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The chick embryo in ovo is a well-accessible and economical in vivo model, but its use in molecular imaging has been limited because of motion artifacts on resulting images. The purpose of this study was to develop a method using narcotics to inhibit motility and to perform motion-artifact-free imaging of living chick embryos in ovo.
  
  
  METHODS
  Chick embryos in ovo were narcotized using three different narcotics: isoflurane, 2,2,2-tribromoethanol, and urethane/α-chloralose. Narcotized embryos were imaged using micro-computed tomography (microCT) at days 10-18 of incubation, and the resulting images were analyzed for reduction of motion artifacts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All three anesthetics could be used for anesthetizing living chick embryos in ovo thus allowing the acquisition of motion-artifact-free images.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our experiments revealed that isoflurane is the best-suited narcotic for single and repeated applications to image living chick embryos in ovo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Hans Knoell Institute), Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heidrich
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Würbach
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Opfermann
authors.forename: Hans Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Saluz
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D016477:Artifacts; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002645:Chickens / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002698:Chloralose / Q000494:pharmacology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000494:pharmacology; D009038:Motion; D009294:Narcotics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014520:Urethane / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics; D009294:Narcotics; C062527:tribromoethanol; D002698:Chloralose; D014520:Urethane; D000431:Ethanol; D007530:Isoflurane