The embryotoxicity associated with exposure to exogenous compounds such as drugs and environmental chemicals can be assessed using the mouse whole embryo culture technique. This method has several advantages over traditional in vivo studies including the exclusion of any confounding maternal and placental effects, the selection of embryos that are at similar stages of development, and the control of exposure concentrations of exogenous agents and modifiers of interest. This chapter will detail the steps involved in using this technique to assess embryotoxicity following exposure to a toxicant. Briefly, embryos are explanted from murine dams on gestational day 9.0 (vaginal plug, day 1) and cultured in CO2 saturated male rat serum for up to 24 h at 37 °C in the presence or absence of a specific toxicant. Embryonic morphological and developmental parameters (e.g., anterior neuropore closure) are then evaluated using a dissecting microscope 24 h later. Potential biochemical analyses are also listed and limitations discussed.
Keywords: Culture; Development; Embryo; Embryotoxicity; Morphology; Mouse; Toxicant.