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Updated: May 21, 2026
Murine Fetal Echocardiography
Published on: February 15, 2013
Gene expression profiling of rat fetuses exposed to 2-dimensional ultrasound
Zvonko Hocevar1, Janez Rozman, Alja Videtic Paska
1University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Objectives:
This study evaluated the possible effects of ultrasound (US) on gene expression in brain tissue of rat embryos.
Methods:
Four groups (n = 5 each) of pregnant Wistar Han rats were exposed to US for different durations (55, 100, 145, and 195 seconds) via a multifrequency transducer in the 2-dimensional imaging mode with a pulse duration of 1.29 microseconds, a pulse repetition frequency of 1 kHz, and a derated spatial-peak pulse-average intensity of 222.4 W/cm(2) on day 5, 9, 7, or 13 of gestation. Gene expression profiling was performed in fetal brain tissue (n = 5 per group) by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction arrays.
Results:
The results indicated substantial alterations in gene expression. The most differentially expressed genes were Adamts5, Gadd45a, Npy2r, and Chrna1, which are implicated in important developmental signaling pathways.
Conclusions:
On the basis of our findings, routine short US examinations for monitoring fetal development are not contraindicated, but prolonged exposures should be used only when needed to obtain important diagnostic information.
