Biosense Laboratories (Norway)

Method validation was conducted for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the determination of domoic acid (DA) toxins, known to give amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) symptoms, in shellfish. The calibration curve range of the assay is approximately 10-260 pg/mL, with a dynamic working range for DA toxins in shellfish from 0.01 to at least 250 mg/kg. The ASP ELISA showed no significant cross-reactivity to structural analogs, and proved to be robust to deliberate alterations of the optimal running conditions. The shellfish matrix effects observed with mussels, oysters, and scallops were eliminated by diluting shellfish extracts 1:200 prior to analysis, leading to a limit of detection at 0.003 mg/kg. Thirteen blank shellfish homogenates were spiked with certified mussel material containing DA to levels in the range of 0.1-25 mg DA/kg, and analyzed in quadruplicate on 3 different days. The relative standard deviation (RSD) under intra-assay repeatability conditions ranged from 6.5 to 13.1%, and under interassay repeatability conditions the RSD ranged from 5.7 to 13.4%, with a mean value of 9.3%. The recoveries ranged from 85.5 to 106.6%, with a mean recovery of 102.2%. A method comparison was conducted with liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection, using naturally contaminated scallop samples (n = 27) with DA levels at 0-244 mg/kg. The overall correlation coefficient was 0.960 and the slope of the regression was 1.218, indicating a good agreement between the methods.

This study is part of a project aimed at developing and validating novel noninvasive methods for the detection of biomarkers of endocrine disrupters (EDs) directly in the mucus of aquatic species, to identify novel functional biomarker(s) for EDs, and to verify their applicability for field studies. The multidisciplinary approach chosen aims at the development of an integrated testing strategy utilizing in vitro protocols to identify water and sediment fractions with potential endocrine-disrupting activity; the identification, characterization, and measurement of new biomarker(s) for EDs; the development and validation of a dipstick-based test method; and the development of (computer-assisted) predictive models. Some results of the first year of the project are presented here.

The oocyte is the starting point for a new generation. Most of the machinery for DNA and protein synthesis needed for the developing embryo is made autonomously by the fertilized oocyte. However, in fish and in many other oviparous vertebrates, the major constituents of the egg, i.e. yolk and eggshell proteins, are synthesized in the liver and transported to the oocyte for uptake. Vitellogenesis, the process of yolk protein (vitellogenin) synthesis, transport, and uptake into the oocyte, and zonagenesis, the synthesis of eggshell zona radiata proteins, their transport and deposition by the maturing oocyte, are important aspects of oogenesis. The many molecular events involved in these processes require tight, coordinated regulation that is under strict endocrine control, with the female sex steroid hormone estradiol-17β in a central role. The ability of many synthetic chemical compounds to mimic this estrogen can lead to unscheduled hepatic synthesis of vitellogenin and zona radiata proteins, with potentially detrimental effects to the adult, the egg, the developing embryo and, hence, to the recruitment to the fish population. This has led to the development of specific and sensitive assays for these proteins in fish, and the application of vitellogenin and zona radiata proteins as informative biomarkers for endocrine disrupting effects of chemicals and effluents using fish as test organisms. The genes encoding these important reproductive proteins are conserved in the animal kingdom and are products of several hundred million years of evolution.

Vitellogenin (VTG) induction has proved to be a valuable biomarker for assessing exposure to environmental estrogens in fish. The widespread use of VTG in this regard has lead to the need for standardized assays to quantify VTG, and monoclonal antibodies have the potential to help accomplish this. A VTG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed using a monoclonal antibody prepared against Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) VTG (MAb BN-5) and its ability to quantify VTG in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) compared with a rainbow trout vitellogenin (rt-VTG) ELISA that employed homologous polyclonal antibodies (PAb). In routine protocols, the working range of the homologous rt-PAb VTG ELISA was between 9 ng/ml and 70 ng/ml (80- 20% relative maximum binding [B/Bo]) with a 50% B/Bo of 25+/-0.9 ng/ml and inter- and intraassay variations at 50% B/Bo of 7% (n = 7) and 8% (n = 15), respectively. The working range of the MAb BN-5 VTG ELISA was between 60 ng/ml and 850 ng/ml (80-20% B/Bo) with a 50% B/Bo of 227+/-22 ng/ml and inter- and intraassay variations at 50% B/Bo of 5% (n = 10) and 9% (n = 12), respectively. In the routine protocols, detection limits for measurement of plasma VTG in rainbow trout (at 80% B/Bo; and given the requirement to dilute plasma to a minimum of 1:10 for the assays) were 90 ng/ml for the polyclonal rt-VTG assay and approximately 600 ng/ml in the monoclonal antibody assay. In juvenile female rainbow trout exposed to a series of doses of estradiol-17beta (E2) and 4-tert nonylphenol (4-NP), there were no differences in the vitellogenic responses measured in the PAb and MAb BN-5 VTG ELISAs. The monoclonal MAb BN-5 VTG ELISA is likely to be of considerable value for studies on environmental estrogens in juvenile female rainbow trout in standardized tests.