Disposable plasticware such as test tubes, pipette tips, and multiwell assay or culture plates are used routinely in most biological research laboratories. Manufacturing of plastics requires the inclusion of numerous chemicals to enhance stability, durability, and performance. Some lubricating (slip) agents, exemplified by oleamide, also occur endogenously in humans and are biologically active, and cationic biocides are included to prevent bacterial colonization of the plastic surface. We demonstrate that these manufacturing agents leach from laboratory plasticware into a standard aqueous buffer, dimethyl sulfoxide, and methanol and can have profound effects on proteins and thus on results from bioassays of protein function. These findings have far-reaching implications for the use of disposable plasticware in biological research.
%0 Journal Article
%1 mcdonald_bioactive_2008
%A McDonald, G Reid
%A Hudson, Alan L
%A Dunn, Susan M J
%A You, Haitao
%A Baker, Glen B
%A Whittal, Randy M
%A Martin, Jonathan W
%A Jha, Amitabh
%A Edmondson, Dale E
%A Holt, Andrew
%D 2008
%J Science (New York, N.Y.)
%K Acids, Ammonium Animals, Compounds, Dimethyl Disinfectants, Disposable Equipment, Humans, Inhibitors, Laboratories, Monoamine Oleic Oxidase Oxidase, Plastics, Quaternary Rats, Solvents Sulfoxide,
%N 5903
%P 917
%R 10.1126/science.1162395
%T Bioactive contaminants leach from disposable laboratory plasticware
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18988846
%V 322
%X Disposable plasticware such as test tubes, pipette tips, and multiwell assay or culture plates are used routinely in most biological research laboratories. Manufacturing of plastics requires the inclusion of numerous chemicals to enhance stability, durability, and performance. Some lubricating (slip) agents, exemplified by oleamide, also occur endogenously in humans and are biologically active, and cationic biocides are included to prevent bacterial colonization of the plastic surface. We demonstrate that these manufacturing agents leach from laboratory plasticware into a standard aqueous buffer, dimethyl sulfoxide, and methanol and can have profound effects on proteins and thus on results from bioassays of protein function. These findings have far-reaching implications for the use of disposable plasticware in biological research.
@article{mcdonald_bioactive_2008,
abstract = {Disposable plasticware such as test tubes, pipette tips, and multiwell assay or culture plates are used routinely in most biological research laboratories. Manufacturing of plastics requires the inclusion of numerous chemicals to enhance stability, durability, and performance. Some lubricating (slip) agents, exemplified by oleamide, also occur endogenously in humans and are biologically active, and cationic biocides are included to prevent bacterial colonization of the plastic surface. We demonstrate that these manufacturing agents leach from laboratory plasticware into a standard aqueous buffer, dimethyl sulfoxide, and methanol and can have profound effects on proteins and thus on results from bioassays of protein function. These findings have far-reaching implications for the use of disposable plasticware in biological research.},
added-at = {2011-03-11T10:05:34.000+0100},
author = {{McDonald}, G Reid and Hudson, Alan L and Dunn, Susan M J and You, Haitao and Baker, Glen B and Whittal, Randy M and Martin, Jonathan W and Jha, Amitabh and Edmondson, Dale E and Holt, Andrew},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/28fa71075475da7ea382a100f537a9e4d/jelias},
doi = {10.1126/science.1162395},
interhash = {5c8402b184c7a7ddd0d5877889067c60},
intrahash = {8fa71075475da7ea382a100f537a9e4d},
issn = {1095-9203},
journal = {Science {(New} York, {N.Y.)}},
keywords = {Acids, Ammonium Animals, Compounds, Dimethyl Disinfectants, Disposable Equipment, Humans, Inhibitors, Laboratories, Monoamine Oleic Oxidase Oxidase, Plastics, Quaternary Rats, Solvents Sulfoxide,},
month = nov,
note = {{PMID:} 18988846},
number = 5903,
pages = 917,
timestamp = {2011-03-11T10:06:45.000+0100},
title = {Bioactive contaminants leach from disposable laboratory plasticware},
url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18988846},
volume = 322,
year = 2008
}