Solid-phase luminescent catalyst immunoassay for human serum albumin with hemin as labeling catalyst

A solid-phase luminescent catalyst immunoassay is described for the determination of human serum albumin (HSA) in solution; hemin is used as a label which catalytically amplifies the sensitivity. The method is essentially a non-radioactive and non-enzymatic sandwich immunoassay. Anti-HSA antibody is covalently bound to a transparent plate, which then undergoes the immunochemical reaction with HSA in the test solution, and with the fixed amount of hemin-labeled anti-HSA antibody. After the two-step immunoreaction, the immunochemically-adsorbed hemin-antibody conjugate is quantified by means of the luminescence produced in a solution containing luminol and hydrogen peroxide. The luminescence intensity is correlated with the amount of HSA. The limit of detection for HSA is 1 ng ml^-1.