Food Standards Agency
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Listen to this siteThursday 14 October 2004
This research project aims to develop screening methods to detect potentially harmful chemicals in food.
Study Duration : April 2000 to February 2005
Contractor : University of Dundee
Foods can contain potentially harmful chemicals, either as natural constituents, as contaminants, or as by-products of food processing and cooking. In order to identify harmful chemicals present in foods and to assess the risks they may pose to human health, sensitive tests to detect and measure them must be developed.
Some harmful chemicals found in foods exert their effects by interacting with cell receptors which affect the expression of specific genes. This project aims to develop tests to examine whether food components can bind to and activate two types of receptor:
This project will develop methods to detect chemicals capable of activating the androgen receptor or the Ah receptor in cultured cells and in an experimental model system.
Cells were generated expressing the human receptor proteins that are activated upon exposure to chemicals, such as dioxin and male hormones (androgens). Activation of the human receptors was shown by cells staining blue. These may be used as a tool for assessing the activating potential of chemical preparations on human receptors. A third receptor, the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) delta, which is thought to be involved in fat metabolism was also investigated. Rats were genetically altered to express a protein that stained blue upon activation of PPAR delta receptors in a similar fashion to the cell lines. However, it was not possible to extend this to the androgen receptor (AR) and arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR) .
The cell lines expressing AR and AhR produced and the rat model expressing PPAR delta could be tools for the screening of chemicals or foods for dioxin and androgen-like activities.
The final report is available from the Agency's Information Centre.
To obtain a copy, please contact the Enquiry Desk, Information Services, Food Standards Agency (tel: 020 7276 8181/8182 or email:
infocentre@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
)
Contact
: For any enquiries concerning this research project, please contact the relevant Programme contact or email:
science@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
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