Mouse perfusion

To eliminate blood contamination before surgeries, I usually use ice-cold 1 X PBS to perfuse a mouse. To fix mouse tissues before immunohistochemistry, I use 4 or 10% formalin to perfuse mouse.

1. Anesthetize the mouse with isoflurane in the hood.

2. Open the mouse from the abdominal.

3. Cut open the diaphragm along both side and expose the heart. Make sure not cutting major vessels.

4. Remove a drop of heparin in a 1 ml syringe with 26 G needle. Draw blood from the left ventricle in the apex of the heart.

5. Cut open the right atrium using a scissor at right angle. Make sure not cutting other parts of the heart. You will notice blood flowing from the right atrium,

6. Remove a drop of heparin in a 10 ml syringe and draw 10 ml ice-cold PBS. Use 23G needle to stick into the left ventricle. Note the best angle is paralleling the edge between left and right ventricle.

7. Drain the PBS into the heart. You will see blood flowing out from right atrium.

8. Try one more time with another 10 ml PBS if necessary. Use 4 or 10% formalin instead of PBS when fixing mouse tissues.

9. The liver turns yellow slowly. The sign for good perfusion is the yellowish color of kidney.


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