Immunoassay cross reactivity

However, if a class-selective assay is desirable (for multi-analyte assays), the handle should be located at or near a position that differentiates members of the class and exposes features common to the class. Using the pyrethroid example, an ideal immunogen should retain the phenoxybenzyl moiety and link the protein from the distal acid end (Figure 9). Using such an immunogen hapten, a class-specific immunoassay was developed that was highly cross-reactive with the type I pyrethroids permethrin, phenothrin, resmethrin and bioresmethrin. ... 

Structurally related compounds may cross-react with the antibody, yielding inaccurate results. In screening for the herbicide alachlor in well water by immunoassay, a number of false positives were reported when compared with gas chromatography (GC) analysis. A metabolite of alachlor was found to be present in the samples and it was subsequently determined that the cross-reactivity by this metabolite accounted for the false-positive results. On the other hand, cross-reactivity by certain structural analogs may not be an issue. For example, in an assay for the herbicide atrazine, cross-reactivity by propazine is 196% because of atrazine and propazine field use... 

Rather than have one antibody that can detect a class, a third approach is to analyze a sample using multiple immunoassays, each with a known cross-reactivity spectrum, and determine the concentration of the analytes and confidence limits... 

Several considerations influence the suitability of the immunoassay as a qualitative or quantitative tool for the determination of tissue residues. These include the assay format, the end user (on-farm or laboratory use), effects of sample matrix on the analysis, cross-reactivity considerations, detection levels required of the assay, target tissues to be used in the assay, and the use of incurred or fortified tissues for validation of the immunoassay against accepted instrumental methods. Although these variables are often interrelated, each topic will be discussed in further detail below. 

The analytical response generated by an immunoassay is caused by the interaction of the analyte with the antibody. Although immunoassays have greater specificity than many other analytical procedures, they are also subject to significant interference problems. Interference is defined as any alteration in the assay signal different from the signal produced by the assay under standard conditions. Specific (cross-reactivity) and nonspecific (matrix) interferences may be major sources of immunoassay error and should be controlled to the greatest extent possible. Because of their different impacts on analyses, different approaches to minimize matrix effects and antibody cross-reactivity will be discussed separately. 

These methods have been used since the 1970s they usually require little or no sample preparation and are rapid and easy to use. However, immunoassay has two limitations. First, it does not differentiate between active drugs and similar molecules such as metabolites or co-administered drugs.9,11 Thus, cross-reactivity is a common problem. Second, its use is limited to only those drugs for which antibodies are available. 

Rao et al.20 demonstrated a fluorescence polarization immunoassay for evaluating serum concentrations of tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, imipramine, clomipramine, and doxepin) with respect to nonresponse, compliance, therapeutic window, and influences of age, sex, substance abuse, and toxicity. Abbott Laboratories TDx/TDxFLx Toxicology Tricyclic Assay FPIA (fluorescence polarization immunoassay) was used. This assay of 50 /uL samples contained tricyclic antidepressant antibodies raised in rabbits and fluorescein-labeled tricyclic antidepressant as a tracer. The assay was calibrated with imipramine in the range of 75 to 1000 fig/L (268 to 3571 nmol/L). Intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation for internal quality control samples from the manufacturer were 4.2 and 4.7%, respectively. The limits of detection were 72,71,64, and 72 nmol/L for amitriptyline, imipramine, clomipramine, and doxepin, respectively. This high-throughput immunoassay was easy to use although amitriptyline, dosulepine, desipramine, and nortriptyline showed cross-reactivities ranging from 74 to 100%. 

Biological techniques, e.g., immunoassays, are among the most sensitive analytical methods, but are limited by the availability of the specific antisera and are subject to cross-reactivity. Huang et al. [36] employed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for determination of estradiol, its conjugates, and ethynylestradiol in wastewaster treatment plant effluents (see Table 4). The reported limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1 ng L 1 reflects the sen-... 

Finally, MAbs and an immunoassay kit for LAS have been commercialized (see Table 3). The working range of the assay is between 20 and 500 pg L1. The antibodies are highly specific for LAS with alkyl chains between C8 and C12, whereas other anionic and nonionic surfactants tested showed no cross-reactivity. 

If the product is an antibody, then it is essential to distinguish the immunoglobulin product, e.g., mouse IgG, from any media immunoglobulin components, e.g., bovine IgG. Lucas et al.16 developed an immunoassay to measure nanogram quantities of bovine IgG in the presence of a large excess of a structurally homologous protein, mouse MAb. The bovine IgG was a contaminant that copurified with the product from a protein A column. For the bovine IgG assay, whole IgG and protein A-purified IgG reacted differently in the assay. It is important to evaluate these types of assays for cross-reactivity. For other media components, such as chemicals or antibiotics, ELISA is probably not the most appropriate method due to the low immunogenicity of chemicals. Techniques such as HPLC would be better to detect these chemical components. 

Recently, a novel immunoassay has been developed for the quantitative determination of polybrominated biphenyls using indirect competitive format. The new method was optimized concenung the coating conjugate and antibody concentration, incubation time and temperature, the tolerance to organic solvents and so on. Under optimized conditions, PBB15 can be determined in the concentration range of 0.01-100 pg/L with a detection hmit of 0.02 pg/L. The cross-reactivities of the assays were below 8%. While water samples could be analyzed directly [94]. 

The issue of which antibody to select for an assay is not a new problem. Certainly anyone involved in the development of an immunoassay has been faced with this choice. Consider attempting to create a multianalyte, microarray-based micro-ELISA of modest density (10 to 100 analytes) and determining which capture antibodies to use based upon their affinities, stabilities, and cross-reactivities. For a sandwich assay, add in the 10 to 100 analyte-specific secondary (reporter) antibodies and determine their levels of cross-reactivity with each other and with the specified antigens and capture antibodies. In other words, achieving high performance for all analytes with a microarray immunoassay is indeed a formidable challenge. 

L/mole). It cross-reacts at >90% with saxitoxin but at <1% with neosaxitoxin. This antibody, when used in an anti-rabbit IgG "second antibody" radioimmunoassay format, can detect pmole quantities of saxitoxin. This assay has been shown to be a simple and efficient method for the analysis of saxitoxin in clam extracts. The lack of antibody cross-reactivity to the neosaxitoxin sub-group of the paralytic shellfish poisons limits the general utility of the assay to neurophysiology studies and to certain clam species which preferentially accumulate saxitoxin. However, the radioimmunoassay serves as a good precursor in the development of an enzyme immunoassay for the paralytic shellfish poisons. 

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