Amniotic fluid volume and composition in mouse pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: The current study was undertaken to determine simultaneous changes in amniotic fluid (AF) volume and composition across gestation in the pregnant mouse. METHODS: Young adult mice (6 to 7 weeks old) of the CB6F1 strain were mated overnight. AF was collected on consecutive days front embryonic days 9.5 through 18.5 for measurements of volume and composition. Statistical analysis included one-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: AF volume increased from 18 +/- 4 (SE) mu L on day 9.5 to a maximum of 147 +/- 4 mu L on days 15.5 to 16.5 and decreased sharply to 17 +/- 3 mu L on day 18.5. AF osmolality was unchanged except for a rise prior to delivery on day 19.5 to 20.5. AF sodium, calcium, and glucose concentrations increased and subsequently decreased as gestation progressed. AF potassium, chloride, and lactate concentrations initially decreased and then increased across gestation. Prior to day 9.5 and after day 18.5, AF volume was too small for volume or compositional determinations. CONCLUSIONS: In the mouse, the rise in AF volume from mid gestation to a maximum late in gestation is similar to that in humans while the sharp fall prior to delivery is not. As observed in the fetal sheep, the changes in fluid volume arc associated with AF osmolality and solute concentration changes that arc correlated with advancing gestational age. These observations together with the feasibility of quantifying AF volume and composition in the mouse fetus demonstrate the possibility of using genetically altered mice as a model for future studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of AF volume and composition.