Retro-orbital injections in mice.

TLDR: The authors report that they have routinely used retro-orbital injection of the venous sinus in the adult mouse to administer volumes up to 150 μl without incident and this technique is a useful alternative to tail vein injection for the administration of non-tumorigenic compounds.

Abstract: Intravenous vascular access is technically challenging in the adult mouse and even more challenging in neonatal mice. The authors describe the technique of retro-orbital injection of the venous sinus in the adult and neonatal mouse. This technique is a useful alternative to tail vein injection for the administration of non-tumorigenic compounds. The authors report that they have routinely used this technique in the adult mouse to administer volumes up to 150 μl without incident. Administration of retro-orbital injections is more challenging in neonatal mice but can reliably deliver volumes up to 10 μl.