We conduct the guide cannula implantation surgery on mice lateral ventricle of the brain to deliver our drugs directly to the brain region. However, the mortality of this surgery is pretty high, about 25% of mice died after surgery. So, is this really a credible method to deliver drug as it cause such high mortality, and some of the mice show abnormal behavior after surgery?
Our drug is a polypeptide and we want to identify the drug efficacy on mice behavior, and the target of the drug is considered to locate in the brain, and polypeptide can not penetrate the blood-brain barrier (which I was told so), which is why we use this method to deliver the drug. But I suppose there gotta be other methods to deliver polypeptide to the brain and cause less mortality.
The high mortality means that there is a problem either with the implant itself or with surgery. I cannot be very specific because I do not know the details. Typically mice die due to brain internal bleeding and/or brain edema (if their death is not related to anesthesia). You can consider several options including smaller cannula and making a small cut in the dura before insertion of the cannula. Keep in mind the anesthesia approach can be wrong as well (dose, positioning of a nose cone etc).
Cannulas are usually safe when performed properly. If the drug needs to be given once id suggest simple injection using stereotaxic surgery. For chronic delivery in mice I had good results using an osmotic pump located subcutaneously between the scapulas. If the image is one of yours I’d say you’re using the wrong size, it seems very big.
Marie Mortreux Thank you for your suggestions! The image is one of our mice after cannular implantation surgery, and the guide cannula is commercially available and implanted into the Lateral Ventricles in the brain. It seems big because it has a cap on top of it.
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