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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
An ex-ovo Chicken Embryo Culture System Suitable for Imaging and Microsurgery Applications
Published on: October 23, 2010
Motion-artifact-free in vivo imaging utilizing narcotized avian embryos in ovo
Alexander Heidrich1, Lydia Würbach, Thomas Opfermann
1Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Hans Knoell Institute), Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany.
Purpose:
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.
Procedures:
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.
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