Rat embryo development on human sera is related to numbers of previous spontaneous abortions and nutritional factors

Alternative models in developmental toxicology

“…For example, serum from treated rats can be used as the serum source, so that changes induced in a whole organism by the compound can be evaluated [Klein et al 1980;Flynn et al 2003]. Although rat serum is commonly used as the serum source, human serum has been used by some investigators [Chatot et al 1984;Ferrari et al 1994;Vanaerts et al 1994].…”

State of the art in developmental toxicity screening methods and a way forward: a meeting report addressing embryonic stem cells, whole embryo culture, and zebrafish

“…Serum is generally obtained from the same species as the embryos cultured. However, human serum obtained from individuals with diabetes (mellitus or gestational) or recurrent spontaneous abortion has been used to identify serum factors that may be related to the poor reproductive outcomes in these populations (Zusman et al, 1989;Ferrari et al, 1994).…”