Abstract
There is increasing current interest in the minipig as an animal model for embryofetal development (EFD) studies. The large litter size and rapid sexual maturation of the minipig make it a convenient species for these studies when traditional choices such as the rat, rabbit or mouse are inappropriate. In our facility we have several years experience performing EFD studies in the Göttingen minipig, permitting us to refine study designs and ensure the robustness of our data. In this poster we present control data from 4 full studies performed during the last 5 years; these studies were all intended for regulatory submission. Fetuses were collected by caesarean section on Gestation Day 109 to 111. Fetal evaluation was by external, visceral and skeletal examination. The heads from half of the fetuses were fixed in Bouin’s, sectioned and examined. Fetuses were stained with alizarin and skeletal examination was performed. These studies have provided us with data on all of the usual parameters that one would expect to see in embryofetal studies (e.g. abortion rate, pregnancy rate, sex ratios, early and late resorptions, implantation sites, corpora lutea, dead or abnormal fetuses, uterine weight, pre and post implantation loss) as well as abnormalities. Our database is sufficient to allow us to judge possible teratogenic effects based on the background incidence of variations and malformations. On the basis of this data we conclude that the minipig is a valuable alternative non-rodent species for use in regulatory embryofetal studies.
