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In vitro assays for assessment of androgenic and estrogenic activity in defined mixtures and complex environmental samples
Citation:
WILSON, V. S. In vitro assays for assessment of androgenic and estrogenic activity in defined mixtures and complex environmental samples. Presented at Veterinary Pharmaceuticals in the Environment, Denver, CO, August 28 - September 01, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
Recent research on effluent from cattle feeding operations in the US have linked morphological alterations in fish with in vitro androgenic activity in associated water samples.
Description:
Eflluents from sources such as waste water treatment plants and animal feeding operations invariably contain complex mixtures of chemicals. Recent research on effluent from cattle feeding operations in the US have linked morphological alterations in fish with in vitro androgenic activity in associated water samples. Identification of the causative agent in the sample through traditional analytical methods can be cost prohibitive. The use of in vitro assays to identify potential hormonal activity, therefore, is attractive since overall hormonal activity of the water sample is indicated and results can generally be obtained more quickly and at lower cost than analytical methods development or in vivo assays. Further, positive results can be used to target chemical analyses toward hormonally active samples thus conserving valuable resources. Our lab has developed several in vitro assays, including transcriptional activation and receptor binding assays, which have been adapted for screening ofenvironmental samples for estrogenic and androgenic activity. These assays have been successfully used to screen many types of samples including eflluents from cattle, dairy, swine and poultry operations and also from different matrices including point (eflluent) and non-point sources (agricultural run-off; groundwater and surface water; combustion by-products). With complex mixtures, it is important to understand how compounds with similar or different mechanisms ofaction would affect assay results. Several defmed mixture studies have therefore been conducted. These studies indicate that mixtures ofhormones act in a dose additive manner. Our results with defined mixtures and environmental samples support the use of these assays as effective tools for assessing hormonal activity in complex environmental samples. Disclaimer: Abstract does not necessarily reflect US EPA policy.