Leaching plastics throw lab assays

Two compounds ubiquitously present in disposable linkurl:lab plastics;http://www.the-scientist.com/2008/11/1/23/1/ -- from test tubes and pipette tips to 96-well plates-- may be wreaking havoc on biomedical experiments, a study in Science reports this week. The study provides "clear evidence of these compounds leaching out of plastics," said linkurl:Andrew Holt,;http://www.pmcol.ualberta.ca/personnel/faculty/AHolt.htm a pharmacologist at the University of Alberta, Canada and main author. The compounds affect the activity of receptors, enzymes and ion channels -- "three main types of molecules responsible for controlling virtually everything in the body." Holt identified the two troublesome compounds linkurl:the hard way;http://www.the-scientist.com/community/posts/list/18.page -- when they messed up his own experiments. His group studies linkurl:monoamine oxidase;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/19648/ (MAO) B, an enzyme that regulates the neurotransmitter dopamine and is a potential target for Parkinson's disease treatment. The group was testing a drug inhibitor of MAO-B, but were getting inconsistent results. Often, they'd see strong inhibition of MAO-B at drug concentrations they knew were...