Solid phase extraction equipment for use in conjunction with scintillation counting

该实验室研究天然雌激素和非天然雌激素样物质(异种雌激素)的环境来源如何影响生理和行为。我们研究这些物质如何被人体吸收，并与生殖组织和大脑部分结合。我们通过追踪来自其他人尿液和汗液中的雌二醇(E2)等天然雌激素和双酚A(BPA)等外来雌激素来做到这一点，双酚A是一种来自聚碳酸酯塑料的污染物，存在于一些食品和家居用品中。我们使用这些分子(~3H-E_2和~(14)C-BPA)的放射性标记版本，利用实验室小鼠追踪它们从环境直接进入个体身体部分的途径。非常重要的是，我们要确定这些物质被肝脏和身体其他部位的酶代谢(结合)的程度，而不是以生物活性的形式保留下来，这可能会影响雌激素受体并改变生理和行为。该设备用于固相萃取(SPE)过程，该过程对分离生物活性和共轭形式的分子非常有效。我们将使用这种固相萃取设备来处理我们从暴露于~3H-E2、14C-BPA或其他物质的小鼠的大脑、生殖器官和其他部位提取的组织样本。该设备将允许我们将组织均质化，以便所有感兴趣的分子都可用，然后将分子的组成部分分离成具有生物活性和结合的部分。然后，我们将能够测量这两种成分中的放射性，并对它们进行量化。通过确定有多少仍然具有生物活性，我们将能够评估来自环境的分子是否会对生殖生理和行为产生影响。

This laboratory studies the ways in which environmental sources of natural estrogens and unnatural estrogen-like substances (xenoestrogens) can affect physiology and behaviour. We study how these substances can be absorbed into the body and bind in reproductive tissues and parts of the brain. We do this by tracing natural estrogens such as estradiol (E2), from sources in urine and perspiration of other individuals, and xenoestrogens such as bisphenol A (BPA), a contaminant from polycarbonate plastics that is found in some foods and household items. We use radiolabelled versions of these molecules (3H-E2 and 14C-BPA) to trace their passage from the environment right into parts of the individual's body, using laboratory mice. It is very important that we determine the extent to which these substances are metabolized (conjugated) by enzymes in the liver and elsewhere in the body, as opposed to remaining in bioactive form that can affect estrogen receptors and alter physiology and behaviour. This equipment is for a process called solid phase extraction (SPE), which is very effective is separating the bioactive and conjugated forms of the molecules. We will use this SPE equipment to treat tissue samples that we take from the brain, reproductive organs, and other parts of mice exposed to 3H-E2, 14C-BPA, or other substances. The equipment will allow us to homogenize the tissue so that all of the molecules of interest are available, then to separate the components of the molecules into the portions that are bioactive and conjugated. We then will be able to measure the radioactivity in the two components and quantify them. By determining how much remains bioactive, we will be able to assess whether or not the molecules from the environment can have an impact on reproductive physiology and behaviour.