title: Gastrulating Rat Embryo in a Serum-free Culture Model: Changes of Development Caused by Teratogen 5-Azacytidine.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Medical Faculty, University of Zagreb, Salata 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bulic-Jakuš
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Medical Faculty, University of Zagreb, Salata 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vlahovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Faculty, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Juric-Lekic
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Medical Faculty, University of Zagreb, Salata 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Crnek-Kunstelj
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Medical Faculty, University of Zagreb, Salata 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Šerman