Dissociation-enhanced lanthanide system

Fig. 25. (A) DELFIA (Dissociation Enhanced Lanthanide Fluoro-ImmunoAssay) system. This heterogeneous immunoassay system uses a primary antibody bound to a solid support, to which a variable amount of unlabeled antigen is bound. The secondary antibody is labeled with a non-phospho-rescent lanthanide chelate, which becomes phosphorescent after dissociation from the antibody, due to the addition of an enhancement solution [which typically contains a mixture of sensitizer (typically a (1-diketonate) and micelle inducing surfactant (5). (B) Heterogeneous fluoroimmunoassay using a secondary antibody directly labeled with a phosphorescent lanthanide chelate.

Since the mid 1970 s many different structures and classes of lanthanide chelates have been synthesised (Rgure 5). For high sensitivity assays the dissociation enhanced system is currently the best approach, however for screening assays where the sensitivity or detection limitation is not an issue the fluorescent chelates can be used to simplify the assay. Some of these chelates can be even used to develop homogeneous and non-separation assays. This assay format is essential for the measurement of a reaction where the components have only a weak binding affinity thus cannot withstand a wash or separation step. 

Other techniques, such as C.D. spectral change, have been used to demonstrate the presence of octa coordination for lanthanide ion in a system containing Eu(FOD)3 and alcohols or ketones (28). However, the anionic tetrakis complexes e.g. Eu(acac)i, Eu(benzac)i, Eu(DBM)i, Eu(BTFA)4, tend to dissociate into the tris-complex and L in alcoholic solution. The degree of dissociation depends on the complex as well as the polarity of the medium. In alcohol-DMF medium the dissociation is enhanced compared to the alcoholic solutions (29). The end product of these dissociation reaction may well be an octacoordinated species. Fluorescence emission from the coordinated europium ion was also helpful in estabhshing the nature of the species in solution 29). 

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