In Vitro Bioassays for Dioxin and Dioxin-like Compounds

Shin-ichi Sakai*, Hidetaka Takigami*, Kazunori Hosoe** and Peter Behnisch***
* National Institute for Environmental Studies, Research Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management
** Life Science Research Laboratories, Kaneka Corporation
***Institute for Environmental Protection Services, SGS Controll-Co.m.b.H
+ Correspondence should be addressed to Shin-ichi Sakai:
National Institute for Environmental Studies, Research Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management
(16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaragi, 305-0053, Japan)

Abstract
Many of the biological and toxic responses of polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons(PHAHs)have been shown to be mediated through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor(AhR). Several bioanalytical detection methods have been developed to analyze cost-and-time effective Ah receptor agonists, such as EROD-(ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase)and CALUX-bioassay(chemical-activated luciferase gene expression). These bioassays are able to detect the sum of dioxin-like activity(including unknown substances)in complex environmental samples. The present paper gives an overview of these bioanalytical detection methods, and includes a description of these methods, their history and application for analying dioxin-like compounds in environmental samples. The EROD and CALUX bioassays are considered to be useful tools for risk assessment of environmental samples as a method of pre-screening or in combination with chemical analysis.

Key words: dioxin, bioassay, Ah receptor, EROD, CALUX, incineration, fly ash, environmental monitoring