K.N. Sultanova1, I.S. Neofitov2, A.A. Bilyalova3, N.S. Filatov4, M.A. Titova5, D.I. Andreeva6, A.P. Kiyasov7

1–7 Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology of Kazan (Volga region) Federal University (Kazan, Russia)

1 kasana555_07@mail.ru, 2 ilya.neofitov.00@mail.ru, 3 alinayakupova96@yandex.ru, 4 qwerdeewrd@gmail.com,
5 maalti@mail.ru, 6 goober@mail.ru, 7 kiassov@mail.ru

Postnatal organ injury initiates regeneration, and during regeneration, the main intercellular interactions usually repeat histogenesis. In order to generate cell therapy products, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms of organ morphogenesis and the main stages of intercellular communication. The laboratory mouse is the most commonly used experimental model, but this type of rodent has a short gestation period. The spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) has a prenatal development period of 39-40 days.

The aim of this work was to describe the prenatal ontogenesis of the spiny mouse (Acomys) in order to confirm that this species is a more convenient model for prenatal development research. The specific focus was on pancreatic morphogenesis.

Spiny mice were used in this study at the 15th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 24th, 28th, 30th, 32nd, 34th and 38th embryonic days. Paraffin sections were stained immunohistochemically with antibodies against PDX1, glucagon, insulin, somatostatin and amylase.

PDX1-positive pancreatic progenitor cells were identified at the 15th gestational day in the ventral and dorsal buds of the foregut endoderm. Fusion of these two pancreatic buds occurs at the 17th embryonic day. The sequence of pancreatic endocrinocytes formation is as follows: glucagon-positive cells were found at the 15th gestational day, somatostatin-positive cells – at the 17th day, and insulin-positive cells – at the 22nd day of prenatal development. The formation of the spiny mouse pancreas begins earlier and the organ development lasts longer than the same processes in other laboratory mice. The data presented here provide a valuable resource for further research into pancreatic cells differentiation and islets of Langerhans formation.

The results of our research on the spiny mouse pancreas prenatal morphogenesis can be utilized to analyze the processes of endocrinocyte development, to investigate the effects of teratogenic factors on pancreas formation and development, and to model pancreatic pathology.

Sultanova K.N., Neofitov I.S., Bilyalova A.A., Filatov N.S., Titova M.A., Andreeva D.I., Kiyasov A.P. A novel experimental model for the investigation of histo- and organogenesis in laboratory animals with a focus on the pancreas. Technologies of Living Systems. 2025. V. 22. № 2. Р. 66-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18127/j20700997-202502-07 (In Russian).

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