[Whole embryo culture for detecting teratogen]

Whole embryo culture technique was used to study direct effects of Penicillin G, Thiadiazole, Actinomycin D and glucose solution of high concentration on the development and growth of rat embryos, without maternal and placental influence. Nine-and-a-half-day rat embryos were transplanted to culture flasks from the animal's wombs for in vitro culture, and the four chemicals were added to culture medium, respectively. Results showed all those chemicals could cause death and malformation of the embryos and retardation in embryonic development and growth cultured in vitro, with an apparent dose-effect relationship. The embryonic malformations caused by the chemicals were the same both in vitro culture and in vivo. Possible teratogenesis of the chemicals and survival of the malformed embryos were speculated based on the above dose-effect relationship.