Rat Embryo Culture Using Rabbit Serum as a Medium for Developmental Toxicity Studies

✍ Scribed by Mikio Nakajima; Masanori Sasaki; Youshiro Kobayashi; Yasuo Ohno; Makoto Usami

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 370 KB
• Volume: 17
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0260-437X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1263(199705)17:3<185::aid-jat428>3.0.co;2-#

✦ Synopsis

The usefulness of rabbit serum as a culture medium for postimplantation rat embryos was examined. Rat embryos at day 9.5 of gestation were cultured in a mixture of rat and rabbit sera at various ratios (v/v) for 48 h. In 100% rat serum, a usual medium, rat embryos grew well. On the contrary, rat embryos died with little growth in 100% rabbit serum. In 75% rabbit and 25% rat sera, rat embryos grew but were morphologically abnormal. In 50% rabbit and 50% rat serum, however, rat embryos grew well showing no morphological abnormalities, as in 100% rat serum. It was concluded from these results that rabbit serum could be used at a proportion up to 50% as a medium for postimplantation rat embryo culture in a mixed form with rat serum. The rat embryo culture using rabbit serum as a medium would be useful in developmental toxicity studies, especially those involving species differences and toxicokinetics.