In-vitro assays for determination of oestrogenic activity

Abstract

At present, in-vitro bioassays are predominantly being seen as tools to identify, through screening programs, whether or not individual chemical compounds have an effect on the endocrine system. However, as the techniques mature, they are likely to find use in the future in monitoring of discharges to the environment for any biological effect and will compliment the range of chemical and biological techniques also available for monitoring environmental quality. Such an approach has already been utilised by a number of workers to fractionate mixtures (e.g. final effluents from STW), to isolate the oestrogenically active components and subsequently identify the compounds which are active. This paper reviews the present state of in-vitro techniques for determination of oestrogenic activity and discusses present approaches to their use in environmental monitoring in conjunction with chemical analyses in toxicity identification and evaluation.

Evaluation of Manuka Honey Estrogen Activity Using the MCF-7 Cell Proliferation Assay

“…Animal testing is also undesirable and expensive. The E-SCREEN assay used in this study measures MCF-7 cell growth and is recognized as valid for large-scale screening, reliable, easy, and quick to perform [22,23,37].…”

Integrated Approach to Structure-Based Enzymatic Drug Design: Molecular Modeling, Spectroscopy, and Experimental Bioactivity

“…General reviews − on this topic are not common. Review papers involving in vitro assays are quoted for the two major diseases reported herein, namely, cancer − and HIV. ,− It is important to note that the toxicity of the inhibitor toward a human cell line is also reported. This gives an indication of the selective nature of the inhibitor.…”

Review of Bioassays for Monitoring Fate and Transport ofEstrogenic Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in Water

“…Various in vitro bioassays exist, usually relying on transgenic bioengineered cells (yeast or breast cancer cells) that connect an estrogen receptor from humans or more a sensitive fish like trout, to express a measurable response. These bioassays may be broadly categorized as 1ligand-binding assays where an ER is connected to a promoter that produces a measurable luminescence or colormetric response (2) immunoassays where the ERE to bind with DNA, modulating transcription of target genes causing a measurable response, and (3) cell proliferation assays where the number of cells in indicative of estrogenicity (Scrimshaw and Lester, 2004).…”