title: An ECVAM pre-validation study of physicochemical methods for predicting the biological potency of recombinant follicle stimulating hormone.
abstract: A pre-validation study was carried out, by six laboratories from six countries, of two physicochemical methods for predicting the in vivo biological potency of recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (follitropin beta), based on quantitative measures of isoform distribution by isoelectric focusing (IEF) and by capillary zone electrophoresis. Each of these methods was used to estimate the predicted bioactivities of four preparations of follitropin beta differing widely in their isoform compositions and specific bioactivities. The results of this study indicate that these methods, and particularly IEF, are transferable between laboratories, and produce results which are sufficiently accurate, precise, and reproducible, for them to be used for predicting the bioactivity of follitropin beta, especially if used with a standard preparation. The performance of these two methods for predicting the bioactivity of other types of follicle stimulating hormone, such as follitropin alfa, would need to be assessed separately, and might involve quantitatively different relationships between the responses measured in the physicochemical method and the bioactivities of preparations estimated by bioassay.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Potters Bar, Herts, UK. pstorring@nibsc.ac.uk
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Storring
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Gaines Das
authors.forename: J W M
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Mulders
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Halder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone