Gastrulating rat embryo in a serum-free culture model : Changes of development caused by teratogen 5-azacytidine

• Published in: Alternatives to laboratory animals 1999-11, Vol.27 (6), p.925-933
• Main Authors: BULIC-JAKUS, F, VLAHOVIC, M, JURIC-LEKIC, G, CRNEK-KUNSTELJ, V, SERMAN, D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous (drug allergy, mutagens, teratogens...); Pharmacology. Drug treatments
• ISSN: 0261-1929; 2632-3559
• DOI: 10.1177/026119299902700601

Developmental processes in gastrulating rat embryos were investigated by using an original, serum-free, chemically defined model system. 9.5-day-old rat embryos, without extraembryonic membranes, were cultivated at the air-liquid interface in a serum-free medium, with and without a protein supplement, for 2 weeks. A teratogenic, demethylating agent, 5-azacytidine, was added to serum-free and protein-free culture medium and to serum-free medium supplemented with human transferrin. A single dose of 5-azacytidine impaired the survival, growth and differentiation of embryos in protein-free medium and serum-free medium with transferrin. In contrast, repeated exposure to 5-azacytidine was required to impair growth in serum-supplemented medium. It was concluded that the activity of 5-azacytidine was easier to detect in a simple, chemically defined medium than in a serum-supplemented medium. This serum-free in vitro method could be useful in screening for teratogenic or embryotoxic substances during gastrulation, the most critical stage of mammalian development.