00:47Construction of Bilateral Cannulas, Obturators, and Caps
02:49Construction of Microinjectors
04:10Animal Maintenance and Vaginal Smears
05:31Microinjection of TTX or Vehicle Solutions into Freely Moving Rats
07:27Tissue Processing
08:44Results: Percentage of Ovulating Animals and Median of the Number of Ova Shed after Microinjection with Artificial Cerebrospinal Fluid (ACSF) or Tetrodotoxin (TTX)
This protocol describes the construction of a low-cost microinjection system, its stereotaxic implantation into deep-brain structures and the procedure for timed microinjections of tetrodotoxin in awake and unrestrained rats. The goal is to reveal the participation of hypothalamic structures in the regulation of ovulation by inhibiting their neural activity.