Induction of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in Mice Using Letrozole-Filled Mini Pumps

To begin, secure an anesthetized mouse in the prone position on an operating plate. Use forceps to pick up the skin at the midline of the back of the neck, favoring the skin on the hairless side. With a scalpel, laterally make a 0.5 centimeter long incision.

Then, open the epidermis underneath the incision and access it with a hemostat to free the skin, making room for a mini pump. Next, use sterile forceps to take letrozole filled mini pump out of the saline with the open end of the pump facing downward. With a pair of forceps, clamp up one side of the skin incision.

Then, push the pump into the subcutaneous space. Once the pump is inside, use your fingers to gently squeeze the pump as inward as possible. Then use 4-0 surgical sutures to suture the incision site.

The Letrozole mini pump treated mice exhibited significantly elevated serum testosterone levels relative to the female control mice. Histological analysis of the mice ovaries showed that the treated mice had a significant reduction in the corpora lutea number. They also showed significant estrous cyclicity and were heavier than the control mice.

The treated mice developed glucose intolerance and had higher changes in serum lipid profiles.