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Development of a solvent‐free, solid‐phase in vitro bioassay using vertebrate cells
Author(s) -
Bopp Stephanie K.,
Bols Niels C.,
Schirmer Kristin
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1897/05-374r.1
Subject(s) - sorption , bioassay , sorbent , polystyrene , environmental chemistry , chemistry , chromatography , solid phase extraction , contamination , chemical engineering , adsorption , detection limit , biology , organic chemistry , ecology , polymer , engineering
Miniaturized bioassays offer many advantages in exploring the toxic potential of chemicals, including small sample volumes and compatibility with high‐throughput screening. One problem common to miniaturized systems, however, is the loss of test chemicals because of sorption. The idea of the current study was to use the sorption phenomenon in a positive way. It was found that contaminants sorbed to the growth surface in wells of tissue‐culture plates or to the surface of selected sorbent bead materials are available to vertebrate cells growing in direct contact with the contaminant‐coated surface. The use of beads provided more flexibility with regard to surface area, materials, and assay format. Biosilon, a bead cell‐culture carrier made of polystyrene, was found to be most suitable. It supported cell adherence and allowed the detection of reproducible dose‐response curves of an increase in cytochrome CYP1A enzyme activity by sorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) liver cell line, RTL‐W1. The resulting bead assay provides a miniaturized, solvent‐free exposure system. Potential future applications include the coupling to environmental sampling, in which the bead material is used as solid receiving phase before serving as a surface for vertebrate cells to attach and respond.