Geometrical isomers of testosterone 3-(O-carboxymethyl)oxime and their histamine derivatives were purified on reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography, and their antibody binding characteristics were studied. Using a competitive testosterone enzyme immunoassay, the unfractionated mixture of the oximes showed 75% cross-reactivity with respect to testosterone, whereas the isolated 3Z- and 3E-isomers showed 124% and 26% cross-reactivity, respectively. The cross-reactivity was increased in the histamine derivatives, but the difference in cross-reactivity of the two isomers was reduced. Suppression of the ionization of the carboxyl group by lowering the pH of the incubation mixture in the antigen-antibody binding step raised the cross-reactivity of the mixture of free oximes to 128%, at pH 4.0. Thus, the geometry and ionization state of the carboxymethyl oxime group has a profound effect on the affinity of the isomers for the antibody.

A new and simple method for enzyme immunoassay of folic acid (FA) has been developed, which does not require extraction or heat denaturation of serum. FA-free serum for standards was prepared by a new immunosorbent technique as conventional methods were unsuccessful. The detection limit of the assay is 0.05 ng/ml. Intra- and interassay variabilities ranged between 5-13.3%. Analytical recoveries obtained after spiking with different amounts of FA ranged between 93-110%. We eliminated the interference of endogenous folate binding protein - a major problem in direct FA assay by incubating serum samples (or standards) with FA-HRP conjugate in antibody coated plates at 50 degrees C. Comparison of our data with results obtained by microbiological assay and also by heating samples in alkaline buffer showed good correlation.

For raising high titre and specific antibody to haptens or drugs, epsilon-aminocaproic acid modified bovine serum albumin (epsilon-ACA-BSA) was prepared for use as a carrier protein. Folic acid (FA) was coupled to epsilon-ACA-BSA, Imj.BSA and BSA for raising antibodies in rabbits. Enhancement of FA immunogenicity with FA-ACA-BSA was observed. Apart from determination of titre by indirect ELISA, dose-response behaviour and specificity of these antisera were also compared. FA-ACA-BSA antibody showed high sensitivity and specificity. Using this antibody, an ELISA method for the determination of FA was developed. The study provides a simple approach to raise highly specific and high titre antibody against small molecules.

The production of phaseolinone, a phytotoxic metabolite of Macrophomina phaseolina in infected Phaseolus mungo seeds grown on soil, was estimated by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and HPLC. The degree of inhibition of seed germination correlated well with the amount of toxin produced; 50% inhibition was observed at a toxin level of 2.1 μg g‐1 of wet tissue. A comparison of the toxin‐producing ability of nine isolates of the fungus obtained from different hosts and localities showed that the strain MPK'83 produced a significantly larger amount of the toxin, both in liquid culture and in infected seeds. The virulence of the isolates was related to their ability to produce phaseolinone.

Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a monocyte-derived neutrophil chemotactic agent, has a potential role in the regulation of inflammatory responses. The specific receptor for IL-8 has been identified and characterized on the surface of human neutrophils (Samanta, A. K., Oppenheim, J. J., and Matsushima, K. (1989) J. Exp. Med. 169, 1185-1189). The present study demonstrates that at least two sulfhydryl groups of this receptor from human neutrophils participate in the binding of IL-8. Incubation of neutrophils with sulfhydryl group-modifying reagents, N-ethylmaleimide and diazene dicarboxylic acid bis-N,N-dimethylamide (diamide), severely impaired the binding of 125I-IL-8 to neutrophils. Treatment with 0.8 mM N-ethylmaleimide and 0.4 mM diamide inhibit binding of 125I-IL-8 to the neutrophils by 62 and 60%, respectively. These inhibitory effects could be reversed by 84-87% by treatment with 2-4 mM dithiothreitol. The saturable amount of the ligand, IL-8, provided partial protection against the modifying reagents. N-Ethylmaleimide and diamide at a concentration of 0.4 mM reduced chemotactic migration of neutrophils in a Boyden chamber by 95 and 60%, respectively. At a concentration of 0.4 mM, N-ethylmaleimide reduced the IL-8-induced (10 micrograms/ml) release of myeloperoxidase by 50%. Under identical conditions, 0.4 mM diamide could reduce release of myeloperoxidase by 63%. Finally, N-ethylmaleimide severely affected the overall binding and total uptake of 125I-IL-8 to the neutrophils at 37 degrees C, a condition required for receptor-mediated internalization of the ligand and recycling of the receptor to the surface of neutrophils. Nitro blue tetrazolium reduction test of the lipopolysaccharide-stimulated neutrophils indicates that compared to control general metabolic functions of thiol-modified cells were markedly retained. These data suggest that at least two conformationally vicinal free reactive sulfhydryl groups are located in the binding domain of the receptor in neutrophils which are essential for IL-8-mediated biological responses.

The effect of dimer heterology in the sandwich immunoassay of testosterone was studied using symmetrical and asymmetrical dimers prepared from testosterone-3-(O-carboxymethyl)oxime and 4-(carboxymethyl-mercapto)testosterone. The effect of antibody heterology was studied using antibodies against 3-carboxymethyl oxime and 17-hemisuccinate derivatives of the steroid and an asymmetrical dimer prepared from the same two derivatives. Using antibody against the 3-carboxymethyl oxime and the dimer of 4-(carboxymethylmercapto)testosterone, the sensitivity of direct enzyme immunoassay of testosterone in serum by this method was 0.5 pg/well and the cross-reactivity of 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone was 5%.

A method for enzyme immunoassay of testosterone in serum has been developed which does not require extraction of the serum with organic solvents. The release of testosterone from the binding proteins is achieved by heating the serum at 70-degrees-C for 30 min in an alkaline buffer. The results correlated well (r = 0.96) with those of a radioimmunoassay using I-125-labelled testosterone and with enzyme immunoassay with prior extraction of samples (r = 0.98). The detection limit of the assay is 1 pg per well and the turn around time for 36 samples is 3.5 h. The procedure is simple and well suited for routine analysis.

A new strategy for protein purification using a soluble affinity matrix is described. The method was used for purification of estrogen receptor. Cytosols from rat uteri and human fibroid uterine tissue, after fractionation by ammonium sulfate, were treated with estradiol-polylysine conjugate. The highly basic affinity complex was separated from other proteins by DEAE-Sephacel chromatography. After dissociation of the eluted complex with excess estradiol, the receptor was recovered by CM-Sephadex chromatography. A 2000-fold purification of the rat uterine estrogen receptor was obtained with an activity recovery of 35%.

A microtiter plate-based enzyme immunoassay has been developed for phaseolinone, a phytotoxin isolated from the culture filtrate of the plant-pathogenic fungus Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. The smallest amount of phaseolinone detectable by the method is 5 pg per well. The method is validated by comparison with high-performance liquid chromatography and used to confirm and estimate phaseolinone production in seeds infected with the fungus. The degree of seed inhibition correlated well with the amount of toxin produced in infected seeds, 50% inhibition being observed at a toxin concentration of 0.60 micrograms/g of wet tissue.

The binding of estradiol-horseradish peroxidase conjugate to rat uterine cytosolic estrogen receptor was studied. The conjugate having a steroid to enzyme ratio of 2.8:1 was allowed to bind to protamine precipitated receptor in presence or absence of 100-fold excess of free estradiol. The bound enzyme activity was measured and the data subjected to Scatchard analysis to obtain the dissociation constant and the number of binding sites. Although the binding parameter so obtained differed from values obtained using radiolabelled estradiol, the method may be used for comparative studies.

An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the measurement of serum testosterone has been developed using nitrocellulose paper discs as the solid support. The paper discs (6 mm diameter) coated with testosterone-specific antibody were incubated with testosterone and testosterone-peroxidase conjugate in glass tubes. The amount of testosterone present in samples could be estimated from the bound peroxidase activity. The assay was validated by comparison with a microtitre plate-based ELISA and a commercial radioimmunoassay (RIA) kit. The correlation coefficient between RIA and EIA was 0.84. No significant cross reactivity was observed with other steroids, except for dihydrotestosterone. The inter- and intra-assay coefficients of variation were 4.4 and 9.6% respectively. The preservation and transport of the coated paper discs are convenient and the overall cost of the method is less than that of other methods.

A homogeneous enzyme immunoassay for estriol has been described using estriol-glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (E3G6PD) as enzyme conjugate. Antisera for estriol were raised by immunising rabbits with two different immunogens, estriol-6-(O-carboxymethyl oxime) bovine serum albumin (E36CMOBSA) and estriol-3-carboxymethyl ether bovine serum albumin (E33CMEBSA). A new method for preparation of estriol 3-O-carboxy methyl ether in high yield (90%) has also been described. Addition of anti-estriol antibodies to E3-G6PD conjugate resulted in inhibition of enzyme activity. In the presence of free estriol, the antibody induced inhibition of enzyme activity was reduced in a concentration dependent manner. The use of the heterologous combination between immunogen and enzyme conjugate i.e. using anti-E33CMEBSA and E36CMOG6PD improves the sensitivity at the expense of specificity, the cross-reaction with other estrogenic hormone being 10–15%.