Intracerebroventricular Injection in Mouse: An Ommaya Mediated Direct Drug Administration Method to Deliver Drugs to Cerebral Ventricles of Mouse Brain

In leptomeningeal disease, cancer cells from other body organs metastasize to cerebrospinal fluid or CSF contained within leptomeninges - thin tissue layers surrounding the brain.

The intracerebroventricular injection facilitates direct drug administration in CSF, evading the blood-brain barrier.

To begin, prep an anesthetized mouse in the prone position.

Incise the head to reveal the skull. Locate the bregma - the junction point of coronal and sagittal sutures.

Using a microdrill, drill a hole in the skull at an appropriate distance from the bregma to access the outermost meningeal layer of dense connective tissue - the dura mater.

Then, gently insert the ommaya - a small injection port - into the hole.

Once done, suture the surrounding skin and allow the ommaya to affix for an optimum duration.

Next, connect the syringe filled with the desired drug suspension to the ommaya.

After setting a suitable flow rate, inject the drug suspension into the dura mater.

The ommaya provides a sterile pathway for direct drug delivery into the CSF in the cerebral ventricles of the brain.

Now, detach the syringe and leave the ommaya intact in the skull for subsequent dosage.

Allow the mouse to recover.

Over time, the drug molecules migrate towards the cancer site and prevent the growth and proliferation of cancer cells.