• Toxicological Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.141-146
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• 2000

Phthalate esters are used extensively as a plasticizer in the manufacture of plastic products such as PVC bags and medical devices. Recently, phthalate esters have been shown to induce endocrine system mediated responses. However. only a Jew studies have been conducted for estrogenic activity of phthalate esters. In this study estrogenic activities of seven phthalate esters. butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-butylphthalate (DBP), diethylphthalate (DEP), di-n-pentylphthalate (DPP), di-n-propylphthalate (DPrP) and dicyclohexylphthalate (DCHP), were examined in vitro using E-screen assay and competitive binding assay. From the E-screen assay, BBP. DEHP. DBP and DEP showed weak estrogenic activity at the concentration of 5 $\mu\textrm{M}$. The relative proliferative effect (RPE) and the relative proliferative potency (RPP) were 50~70% and 0.01%. respectively, when compared with 500 pM of 17$\beta$-estradiol (E2). In competitive binding assay with the rat uterine estrogen receptor (ER), BBP and DEP showed weak binding potency ［(l/$10^4$~1/$10^5$ of E2］ while DEHP and DBP scarcely bound to ER. These results suggest that some phthalate esters have weak estrogenic activities in vitro.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.326-331
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• 1997

To construct a competitive ELISA standard curve for the detection of glucose-6-phosphate debydrogenase (G6PD), we used highly purified native G6PD (nG6PD) as both immobilized and soluble antigens and anti-G6PD serum raised against nG6PD as antibody. The polystyrene cuvettes coated with nG6PD were challenged with a mixture of a limiting amount of anti-G6PD serum and various doses of nG6PD as competitors followed by incubation with alkaline phosphatase-anti-IgG conjugate. The competitive ELISA did not exhibit the typical sigmoidal dose-response curve characteristic of competition immunoassays under the optimal concentrations of antigen and antibody. The soluble nG6PD used as competitor failed to effectively inhibit the binding of antibodies to the immobilized nG6PD. The addition of NADP, a cofactor of G6PD enzyme, to coating buffer used for immobilizing nG6PD to the cuvettes and PBS-Tween-BSA buffer for diluting competitors did not improve the inhibition of antibody binding to immobilized nG6PD by soluble n/G6PD. The addition of BSA to coating buffer did not increase inhibition, either. Surprisingly, when partially active G6PD (paG6PD), obtained by repeated freeze-thawing, was used as competitor, the antibody binding to either immobilized nG6PD or immobilized paG6PD was inhibited 49-58%. We conclude that an effective competitive ELISA system with nG6PD enzyme and anti-G6PD serum for the detection of G6PD may not be established due to the poor inhibition of antibody binding to immobilized nG6PD by soluble nG6PD under the present assay conditions and that the inhibition may be improved by using an inactivated enzyme as competitor regardless of the type of immobilized antigen used. These results imply that the immobilized nG6PD may undergo denaturation upon binding to the polystyrene cuvettes and that our anti-G6PD serum may recognize denatured enzyme better than active enzyme.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.417-420
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• 2001

• Toxicological Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2000

The purposes of our study were to optimize the conditions of the screening and testing methods for endocrine disruptors, to characterize these assays using several compounds with well-defined endocrine activity, and to compare the sensitivity between these assays currently undergoing validation. Two in vitro test systems, MCF-7 cells proliferation (E-screen assay) and competitive binding to estrogen receptors (ER) were selected to evaluate the estrogenic effects. 17$\beta$-Estradiol (E2) and diethylstilbestrol (DES) were used as a positive control in vitro test. Also, E2 and ethinyl estradiol (EE) were used as a positive control in vivo uterotrophic assay. In in vitro test, E2 and DES showed a strong estrogenic response at concentration of 1.0 nM. In uterotrophic assay, E2 (0.3 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg) and EE (0.3 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg) produced a significant increase in uterus and vagina weight in both immature and ovariectomized rats. Although we did not com-pared the specificity between in vivo and in vitro assays, these assay systems may serve as a good tool for endocrine disruptors screening methods. Our data indicate that these assay systems exhibit some difference in their sensitivity to the same estrogenic compounds. Therefore, as a first rapid screening assay for estrogenic activity qf unknown chemicals, at least two assay systems should probably be carried out with a view of high sensitivity and standardization conditions. Also, a careful validation tests are necessary to obtain a reasonable degree of reproducibility.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.261-269
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• 1993

When monoclonal antibodies are used in radioimmunoassay or immunoscintigraphic studies, post-labelling immunoreativity is a critical parameter. $^{125}I$ was incorporated to CEA-79 (anti CEA monoclonal antibody developed in Korea) by chloramine T and iodogen method with variable specific activities from $0.1{\mu}Ci/{\mu}g$ to $100{\mu}Ci/{\mu}g$. We used a new method to evaluate the immunoreactivites of modified antibody relative to the unlabelled native antibody from competitive binding assay. The effect of immunoreactivity and specific activity to the sensitivity of radioimmunometric assay was also evaluated. As a result, chloramine T method was better than iodogen method in radioiodination of CEA-79, because the immunoreactivity of antibody was relatively well reserved and more stable. New competitive binding assay was simple and effective to evaluate the change of immunoreactivity in radiolabelling. Antibody with high immunoreactivity and high specific activity improved the sensitivity of radioimmunometric assay, whereas antibody with high specific activity but low immunoreactivity didn't. The immunoreactivity and specific activity should be optimized according to the clinical un, and competitive binding method is useful in selection of optimal radiolabelling assay.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.29-34
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• 1976

The changes of the plasma progestin concentations in normal pregnancy and artificially maintained pregnancy of the rabbits by hormonal replace therapy after induced ovulation and insemination on Day 1, followed by ovariectomy on Day 2, were checked by direct measurement, competitive protein-binding assay, from the time of mating through to parturition. The results obstained in this experiment can be summarized as follows: (i) The mean concentration of progestin in normally pregnant rabbits increased from $1.7{\sim}2.7$ ng/ml on Day 1 to $19.8{\sim}25.3$ ng/ml on Days $13{\sim}15$ and declined slowly thereafter until term. (ii) The progesterone levels in artificially maintained pregnancy by hormonal replacement therapy showed quite a similar pattern to that in normally pregnant rabbits.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.115-118
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• 2004

We have examined the feasibility of using the specific interaction between mistletoe lectin I (ML I) and ${\beta}$-Dgalactose instead of the anti-ML I antibody in developing a homogeneous type competitive binding assay for ML I. We also have examined the feasibility of adapting the biotin/avidin mediated homogeneous assay for this system. Alkaline phosphatase (AKP) was employed as a single substrate enzyme label. The dose-response curve shows a detection range of 1-25 ${\mu}$g/mL and a linear response with a correlation coefficient of 0.99. To demonstrate the analytical utility of this method, 10 ${\mu}$g/mL of ML I was spiked into distilled water. The results show that the mean recovery was 10.03 ${\mu}$g/mL with an SD of 0.18. The difference between the spiked value and the mean recovery was 0.03 ${\mu}$g/mL, with a relative error of 0.3 and 1.6 % of RSD.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.601-609
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• 2000

An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to screen residues of sulfadimethoxine (SDM) in edible animal products. An indirect competitive ELISA was allowed to compete with rabbit anti-SDM for binding to a limited amount of SDM-gelatin conjugate and SDM in serum samples. Sera was diluted 20 times with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and boiled for 5 minutes to destruct immunoglobulins of serum. Detection limit of this competitive ELISA for SDM was 0.1 ppb or less. Among eight sulfonamide analogues tested for specifity, only sulfamonomethoxine showed significant cross-reaction in the assay. The EC-50 value for sulfamonomethoxine was 3.5 ppm. Recovery of SDM in spiked serum samples between 100 ppb and 500 ppb ranged from 110.7% to 128.9%.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.276-282
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• 2004

Marginal Zn deficiency is prevalent through the world and yet human zinc status has not been properly assessed due to the lack of a reliable diagnostic indicator. One potential possibility for zinc status assessment using Zn-binding protein, metallothionein (MT)-mRNA, has been proposed. The purpose of the present study was aimed to show whether measurement of mononuclear cell (MNC) MT mRNA, using a competitive-reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (competitive-RT-PCR) assay, could indicate zinc status in human subjects. In this study, MNC MT-mRNA expression was measured using a competitive-RT-PCR to compare before and after 14 days of zinc supplementation (50 mg Zn/das zinc gluconate). RT-PCR oligonucleotide primers which were designed to amplify both a 278 bp segment of the human MT-2A cDNA and a 198 bp mutant competitor cDNA template from MNCs, were prepared. MT-2A mRNA was normalized by reference to the housekeeping gene, $\beta$-actin, mRNA for which was also measured by competitive-RT-PCR. There was considerable inter-individual variation in MT-mRNA concentration and yet, the mean MT-2A mRNA level increased 4.7-fold after Zn supplementation, as compared to before Zn supplementation. This MT-2A mRNA level was shown as the same pattern and, even more sensitive assay, compared to the conventional plasma and red blood cells (RBCs) Zn assessment in which plasma and RBCs zinc levels increased 2.3- and 1.2-fold, respectively (p<0.05). We suggest that MT competitive-RT-PCR can be a useful assessment tool for evaluating human zinc status.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.953-957
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• 2001

The specificity of conjugation site for coating ligands was investigated using toluene-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugates in which BSA was conjugated at the position of o-, m-, and ${\rho}-toluic$ acid. Toluene-BSA conjugated at ${\rho}-position$ showed a binding activity of about 89-95%, whereas, those conjugated at o- and m-position of toluene exhibited a binding activity of 5 and 11%, respectively. On the basis of the above result, coating ligands with various proteins (OVA, BSA, KLH) were compared by conjugating with $\rho-toluic$ acid, and toluene-KLH was considered as the best coating ligand for this ELISA. Indirect competitive ELISA method was developed using anti-toluene antibody and $\rho-position$ conjugated toluene-KLH. The dose-response curve constructed after kinetic and optimization studies showed a 1${\times}$10-4 - 1${\times}$102 mM detectable response range with 0.1 ${\mu}M$ detectability. In specificity test of the antibody, the binding capabilities of aromatic compounds substituted with nitro-, alkyl-, chloro-, and hydroxyl group were larger rather than those of aromatic compounds (benzene, toluene and xylene) themselves. Also, tests with soil and water samples that had been spiked with toluene resulted in 102.7-113.7% recovery.