Freeman S J, Steele C E
Food Chem Toxicol. 1986 Jun-Jul;24(6-7):619-22. doi: 10.1016/0278-6915(86)90136-5.
The two major applications of whole post-implantation rat embryo culture (WEC) are as a test for teratogenicity in safety evaluation studies and as a tool in the investigation of mechanisms of teratogenesis. As a test system, WEC possesses many of the characteristics necessary for an in vitro screen. However, its use on a large scale is disqualified for reasons of cost and the demand for technical expertise to perform cultures and interpret findings, compared with other in vitro teratogenicity screens, although its use might be preferred when only a few compounds require testing. The major value of WEC lies in its use for studying mechanisms of teratogenesis. The opportunity to study the embryo in isolation and the versatility afforded by the technique offer considerable advantages in this context.
植入后大鼠全胚胎培养（WEC）的两个主要应用是在安全性评估研究中作为致畸性测试以及在致畸机制研究中作为一种工具。作为一种测试系统，WEC具备体外筛选所需的许多特性。然而，与其他体外致畸性筛选相比，由于成本以及进行培养和解释结果所需的专业技术要求，大规模使用WEC并不合适，尽管在仅需测试少数化合物时可能更倾向于使用它。WEC的主要价值在于其用于研究致畸机制。在这种情况下，孤立研究胚胎的机会以及该技术所提供的多功能性具有相当大的优势。
