Cranial Window-based Intravital Imaging in a Mouse Model: An Imaging Technique to Study the Behavior of Pre-injected Cancer Cells in the Brain of a Murine Model

Abstract

Source: Alieva, M. and Rios, A. C. Longitudinal intravital imaging of brain tumor cell behavior in response to an invasive surgical biopsy. J. Vis. Exp. (2019)

In this video, we perform intravital imaging of pre-injected cancer cells in a mouse model via an implanted cranial window. This high-resolution time-lapse imaging technique enables the study of dynamic behavior of cancer cells in the live mouse.

Protocol

All procedures involving animal models have been reviewed by the local institutional animal care committee and the JoVE veterinary review board.

1. Intravital Imaging

NOTE: The time interval between the tumor cell injection and the first intravital imaging session is dependent on the type of tumor cell line used. For the experiments shown in this protocol, 1x 10⁵ GL261 cells were injected and imaged 10 days later.

1. Imaging preparation
   1. Sedate the mouse using isoflurane inhalation anesthesia through a face mask (1.5%–2% ....

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Opthalmic ointment	Kela Veterinaria		Duodrops veter kela 10 m
Hypnorm	VetaPharma Ltd		Hypnorm (Fentanyl citrate 0.315 mg/mL + Fluanison 10 mg/mL)