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Application of the E‐screen assay to test for oestrogenically active substances in swine feed[Note 1. This paper contains parts of the thesis of N. ...]
Author(s) -
Bitsch N.,
Körner W.,
Postupka S.,
Brunn H.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.651
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1439-0396
pISSN - 0931-2439
DOI - 10.1046/j.1439-0396.2001.00348.x
Subject(s) - bioavailability , animal feed , incubation , feed additive , chemistry , active principle , biological activity , bioassay , chromatography , zoology , biology , food science , pharmacology , biochemistry , medicine , broiler , traditional medicine , genetics , in vitro
A pig breeder in central Hesse (Germany) noticed the occurrence of enlarged vulvae in female piglets. Intoxication with oestrogenically active substances by contamination of two feed mixes ingested by the mother sows appeared to be a possible cause. Using a combined technique of the DFG analytical method S19 and the E‐screen assay, two feed samples were found to contain powerful oestrogenically active compounds. By co‐incubation with the anti‐oestrogen tamoxifen it could be clearly demonstrated that the oestrogenic activity was mediated by the oestrogen receptor. These results demonstrate that use of the E‐screen assay in combination with the DFG analytical method S19 provides a simple and readily useable prescreening method for the routine detection of oestrogenically active compounds in animal feed. The results from the E‐screen assay show that the sows ingested 10–80 μg oestradiol equivalents per day in their feed. Because of the bioavailability of these substances, the oestrogenic active compounds seem to be transferred into the milk and passed to the piglets via suckling. The milk of the dam appears to contain this substance in biologically active form and at such high concentrations that the female piglets had enlarged vulvae.