The effects of perioperative analgesia on litter size in Crl:CD1(ICR) mice undergoing embryo transfer.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect on litter size of 2 analgesics used perioperatively during mouse embryo transfer surgery. Day 2.5 pseudopregnant CD1 mice (n = 96) were divided equally into 2 analgesic treatment groups and a saline control group. Each mouse received a single, subcutaneous dose of buprenorphine hydrochloride (0.1 mg/kg), flunixin meglumine (2.5 mg/kg), or saline immediately after induction of anesthesia with 2.5% isoflurane. Each mouse then was prepared for aseptic surgery. Blastocysts had previously been collected from C57BL/6NCrl female mice that were synchronized and superovulated by using pregnant mare serum gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin and mated with C57BL/6NTac male mice 3.5 d before collection. Viable blastocysts were pooled, and 8 were selected arbitrarily and transplanted into the right uterine horn of each pseudopregnant CD1 mouse. Mice were monitored throughout pregnancy, and the number of pups at birth was documented. No statistically significant difference was found between the 3 groups. These results indicate that perioperative analgesic treatment with buprenorphine or flunixin in the CD1 mouse undergoing embryo transfer is not associated with increased embryonic loss.