Regucalcin expression profiles in veal calf testis: validation of histological and molecular tests to detect sex steroids illicit administration.

Immunohistochemistry FFPE tissues Growth promoters Real Time PCR Regucalcin

Journal

PeerJ
ISSN: 2167-8359
Titre abrégé: PeerJ
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101603425

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
2021
Historique:
received: 27 05 2020
accepted: 13 01 2021
entrez: 1 3 2021
pubmed: 2 3 2021
medline: 2 3 2021
Statut: epublish

Résumé

Sex steroids administration in meat producing animals is forbidden within the EU to preserve consumers' safety, but continuous monitoring to identify resurgence of their misuse is needed. Among biomarkers related to sex steroids abuse in veal calves the regucalcin (RGN) mRNA perturbations in testis have been described in RNA Formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) testis samples, chosen being the most effective preservation strategy adopted by histological NRCPs and allowing easier retrospective analysis if required by legal disputes, were analyzed from veal calves treated with nandrolone, 17β-estradiol and a cocktail of the two hormones. RGN levels were determined by quantitative Real Time PCR and Immunohistochemistry assays. Test performances were assessed and compared by multiple ROC curves. Both tests resulted sensitive and specific, allowing to enrich, in future field investigation, novel integrated diagnostic protocols needed to unveil sex steroid abuse. Developed RT-qPCR and IHC methods confirmed RGN as a useful and robust biomarker to detect illegal administration of sex steroid hormones in veal calves. The developed methods, successfully applied to ten years old FFPE blocks, could allow both retrospective analysis, when supplementary investigations are requested by authorities, and future implementation of current NRCPs.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
Sex steroids administration in meat producing animals is forbidden within the EU to preserve consumers' safety, but continuous monitoring to identify resurgence of their misuse is needed. Among biomarkers related to sex steroids abuse in veal calves the regucalcin (RGN) mRNA perturbations in testis have been described in RNA
METHODS METHODS
Formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) testis samples, chosen being the most effective preservation strategy adopted by histological NRCPs and allowing easier retrospective analysis if required by legal disputes, were analyzed from veal calves treated with nandrolone, 17β-estradiol and a cocktail of the two hormones. RGN levels were determined by quantitative Real Time PCR and Immunohistochemistry assays. Test performances were assessed and compared by multiple ROC curves.
RESULTS RESULTS
Both tests resulted sensitive and specific, allowing to enrich, in future field investigation, novel integrated diagnostic protocols needed to unveil sex steroid abuse.
DISCUSSION CONCLUSIONS
Developed RT-qPCR and IHC methods confirmed RGN as a useful and robust biomarker to detect illegal administration of sex steroid hormones in veal calves. The developed methods, successfully applied to ten years old FFPE blocks, could allow both retrospective analysis, when supplementary investigations are requested by authorities, and future implementation of current NRCPs.

Identifiants

pubmed: 33643712
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10894
pii: 10894
pmc: PMC7899017
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Pagination

e10894

Informations de copyright

©2021 Benedetto et al.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Références

BMC Bioinformatics. 2018 Oct 15;19(Suppl 10):357
pubmed: 30367588
Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo). 1978 Jun;26(6):1915-8
pubmed: 699201
Inhal Toxicol. 2014 Nov;26(13):811-28
pubmed: 25264934
Nucleic Acids Res. 2012 Apr;40(7):e51
pubmed: 22228834
BMC Mol Biol. 2007 Dec 21;8:118
pubmed: 18154675
Eur J Intern Med. 2011 Jun;22(3):230-4
pubmed: 21570638
Food Chem. 2020 May 15;312:126061
pubmed: 31891886
Biomol Detect Quantif. 2015 Sep 26;6:4-12
pubmed: 27077042
Mol Hum Reprod. 2011 Nov;17(11):669-78
pubmed: 21593214
Sci Rep. 2018 Apr 20;8(1):6351
pubmed: 29679021
EFSA J. 2013 Jun 27;11(6):3265
pubmed: 32313569
Sci Rep. 2016 Feb 22;6:21418
pubmed: 26898768
Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2016;33(1):60-5
pubmed: 26482144
Biopreserv Biobank. 2015 Jun;13(3):200-6
pubmed: 26035010
Nucleic Acids Res. 2003 Jul 1;31(13):3406-15
pubmed: 12824337
Methods. 2001 Dec;25(4):402-8
pubmed: 11846609
Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2014;31(5):833-8
pubmed: 24588558
Stat Med. 2010 Dec 10;29(28):2905-19
pubmed: 20862668
PLoS One. 2014 Nov 21;9(11):e113950
pubmed: 25415588
Mol Hum Reprod. 2012 Apr;18(4):161-70
pubmed: 22121208
J Agric Food Chem. 2017 Jun 14;65(23):4866-4874
pubmed: 28525721

Auteurs

Alessandro Benedetto (A)

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.

Elena Biasibetti (E)

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.

Chiara Beltramo (C)

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.

Valentina Audino (V)

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.

Simone Peletto (S)

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.

Elena Maria Bozzetta (EM)

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.

Marzia Pezzolato (M)

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.

Classifications MeSH