OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY OF PREIMPLANTATION EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT IN VIVO

Abstract

Optical imaging provides unique opportunities to investigate dynamics of reproduction and early development with single cell resolution without application of exogenous agents in animal models. Ovulation, fertilization, and pre-implantation pregnancy are fundamental reproductive processes of clinical importance. While research has shed light on the cellular and molecular mechanisms mediating these events, any conclusions regarding dynamics of mammalian fertilization, gamete/embryo transfer, which takes place deep inside the body, are extrapolated and do not necessarily represent the native state.
Toward this end, using functional optical coherence tomography (OCT), we recently established a set of unique methods for in vivo imaging of the female mouse reproductive tract. Our approach allows for live, dynamic volumetric imaging of the mouse Fallopian tube (oviduct) with micro-scale spatial resolution. Recently, we established a tomographic imaging technique capable of mapping both the cilia location and the cilia beat frequency in the intact mouse oviduct in vivo. We utilize both the amplitude and the frequency position of the major peak from the ciliary motion spectrum, and reconstruct, for the first time, high-resolution mapping of both cilia location and CBF through tissue layers in vivo. We established a method of sperm activity measurement, which relies on analysis of unique tortious sperm trajectories. We introduced standard deviation (SD) of the direction variation (SDofDV) as a measure of activity. This method was used in vivo to directly track multiple motile sperm inside the mouse oviduct, revealing new biological findings. Potentially this study will provide new insight on the process of mammalian fertilization in its native state and lead to a better understanding of pathologies resulting in infertility.

Speaker

Irina Larina
Baylor College of Medicine
USA

Discussion

Ask question