Mouse whole embryo culture: Evaluating the requirement for rat serum as culture medium.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Whole embryo culture is a valuable research method in mammalian developmental biology and birth defects research, enabling longitudinal studies of explanted organogenesis-stage rodent embryos. Rat serum is the primary culture medium, and can sustain growth and development over limited periods as in utero. However, the cost, labor, and time to produce culture serum are factors limiting the uptake of the methodology. The goal of replacing or at least reducing rat serum usage in culture would be in accordance with the principles of "replacement, reduction, and refinement" of animals in research (the 3Rs).

Methods

We performed cultures of mouse embryos for 24 hr from embryonic day 8.5 in serum-free media or in rat serum diluted with defined media, compared with 100% r

SUBMITTER: Culshaw LH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6778057 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature