[Cultures of fetal bone sites as a model for studying drug influence on mesenchymal metabolic processes (author's transl)].

Cultures of murine embryonic bone explants were studied regarding their use as experimental model for the investigation of drug effects on metabolic processes of mesenchymal tissues. Embryonic tibiae excised on the 17th day of gestation and grown in a liquid medium for 6 days as organ cultures appeared particularly suited for this purpose. The planimetrically estimated size of the explants increased during this period in the mean by 40.7% and their DNA-content rose by 67.5%. After 6 days of incubation in vitro the mean DNA-content was about 2.5 micrograms/mg wet weight and the mean uronic acid content 10 micrograms/mg wet weight. Using dexamethasone, oxyphenbutazone, acetyl salicylic acid, sodium aurothiomalate and sodium pentosanpolysulfate as test drugs clear differences in the action on the determined parameters (explant growth, DNA- and uronic acid-content, glycosaminoglycan secretion of the explants) could be demonstrated.