Udo Becker

A functional photometric assay for plasma fibrinogen.

We have developed a photometric assay for fibrinogen concentration. The sample is mixed with a snake venom enzyme (Batroxobin) and fibrin formation is recorded turbidimetrically at 334 nm. Reaction conditions are such that a linear increase in absorbance is obtained over a concentration range of fibrinogen from 80-700 mg/dl. Higher or lower ranges can be measured by adjusting the sample volume. Calibration is performed with a single standard. Precision and accuracy are comparable with the usual clinical chemical methods. Experiments with plasma samples digested with streptokinase showed that interference of fibrinolytic split products (FSP) is less than using the Clauss method. Large amounts of FSP in the sample, however, delay the increase in absorbance. This phenomenon can be utilized for the additional estimation of the FSP-content of the sample. Results obtained with the present method corresponded well with those obtained using the method of Clauss.

Determination of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) capacity of human plasma in presence of oxidants: a novel principle.

A new functional assay of PAI-activity in human plasma is described. Hitherto known assays for fast acting PAI have some disadvantages: predilution and/or acidification steps of the sample to afford the required inactivation of alpha-2-antiplasmin (A2-PI). This approach in contrast implicates test performance in presence of chloramine T (CT), an oxidant that destroys plasma antiplasmin activity without impairing significantly the activity of urokinase (u-PA) or plasmin. The following reaction conditions were found optimal: 50 microliter of undiluted plasma, anticoagulated with citrate or EDTA, were first incubated with 1 IU u-PA in a Tris-buffer, pH 8.4 and then with Glu-plasminogen (0.85 mumol/l final), CT (2.5 mmol/l final), tranexamic acid (0.9 mmol/l final) for 5 min. at 37 degrees C. After addition of 0.3 mmol/l of the chromogenic plasmin substrate H-D-Nva-CHA-Lys-pNA (pNA = para nitroanilide) and of NaCl (250 mmol/l final) a linear kinetic with delta A405/t in the range of 0.2/min for normal plasma was recorded. In an endpoint version of the test the chromogenic substrate can be added together with plasminogen resulting an A/t2-kinetic. Dilution studies showed a linear calibration curve from 0 to 14 arbitrary u-PA inhibiting units (AU)/ml plasma. By means of PAI-standard plasmas PAI-capacity values of 20 healthy volunteers (10 males/10 females) (x = 26 years, sigma = 4.2) were determined. They ranged from 0.4 - 6.9 (x = 1.3, sigma = 0.9) AU/ml plasma. Plasma samples containing more than 14 AU/ml were prediluted with PAI-deficient plasma. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CV) were determined to be 1.3 +/- 0.6 and 4.3 +/- 0.5%, respectively. The values of this assay correlate well with those obtained by acidification of the samples. However, the possibility of measuring plasma PAI (and PA) activities by means of a simple and direct approach can be considered as an important progress with regard to routine hospital practice. The presented oxidative inactivation of A2-PI mimics the leukocyte attack phase, suggesting that activated leukocytes create a microenvironment of uncontrolled plasmin activity.

Development of a photometric assay for activated partial thromboplastin time and its application to the cobas(R) biocentrifugal analyzer

We describe a two-step procedure for APTT that can be performed on photometric devices. It includes preincubation of diluted plasma with ellagic acid and phospholipids and a starting reagent that contains calcium and a chromogenic peptide substrate for thrombin, Tos-Gly-Pro-Arg-pNA. Reaction time is recorded from addition of the starting reagent until thrombin formation occurs, and a prefixed amount of substrate is cleaved. The pattern of sensitivity to clotting factors and heparin was similar to clotting assays and the substrate used did not interfere with the activity of factor Xa. An application of the method was made for the Cobas(R) Bio centrifugal analyzer. Absorbance readings were sent to an external computer and were transformed into reaction times by a computer program. Although the results are independent on fibrinogen concentrations, from kinetic data of the reaction curve fibrinogen concentrations can be estimated. Correlation studies showed good correspondence to clotting methods (r = 0.92, n = 53) as well as an excellent precision (CV 3% for inter-assays, n = 15) and high throughput of samples (greater than 100/h) in the automated assay.