Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41405, Republic of Korea.
Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41404, Republic of Korea.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2021 Sep 10;569:29-34. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.06.049. Epub 2021 Jul 2.
Xenopus laevis is highly suitable as a toxicology animal model owing to its advantages in embryogenesis research. For toxicological studies, a large number of embryos must be handled simultaneously because they very rapidly develop into the target stages within a short period of time. To efficiently handle the embryos, a convenient embryo housing device is essential for fast and reliable assessment and statistical evaluation of malformation caused by toxicants. Here, we suggest 3D fabrication of single-egg trapping devices in which Xenopus eggs are fertilized in vitro, and the embryos are cultured. We used manual pipetting to insert the Xenopus eggs inside the trapping sites of the chip. By introducing a liquid circulating system, we connected a sperm-mixed solution with the chip to induce in vitro fertilization of the eggs. After the eggs were fertilized, we observed embryo development involving the formation of egg cleavage, blastula, gastrula, and tadpole. After the tadpoles grew inside the chip, we saved their lives by enabling their escape from the chip through reverse flow of the culture medium. The Xenopus chip can serve as an incubator to induce fertilization and monitor normal and abnormal development of the Xenopus from egg to tadpole.
非洲爪蟾由于其在胚胎发生研究中的优势，非常适合作为毒理学动物模型。对于毒理学研究，由于胚胎在短时间内迅速发育到目标阶段，因此必须同时处理大量胚胎。为了有效地处理胚胎，需要一种方便的胚胎培养装置，以便快速可靠地评估毒物引起的畸形，并进行统计评估。在这里，我们建议使用 3D 技术制作单个卵捕捉装置，在该装置中，体外受精的非洲爪蟾卵被培养。我们使用手动移液管将非洲爪蟾卵插入芯片的捕捉点内。通过引入液体循环系统，我们将混合有精子的溶液与芯片连接起来，以诱导卵的体外受精。受精后，我们观察了胚胎的发育过程，包括卵裂、囊胚、原肠胚和蝌蚪的形成。蝌蚪在芯片内生长后，我们通过培养基的反向流动使它们从芯片中逃脱，从而挽救了它们的生命。非洲爪蟾芯片可用作孵化器，可诱导受精，并监测非洲爪蟾从卵到蝌蚪的正常和异常发育。
