COMPOSITE POLY(METHYL METHACRYLATE-METHACRYLIC ACID-2-HYDROXYETHYL METHACRYLATE) LATEX FOR IMMUNOASSAY - THE CASE OF PLASMINOGEN

Poly(methyl methacrylate-methacrylic acid-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) latex (ACRYLAT) was synthesized by radical precipitation polymerizati on. The mass median diameter (MMD) and the geometical standard deviati on (GSD) of the ACRYLAT particles were 138 nm and 1.2, respectively. T he concentration of the titrable carboxylic groups in the surface laye r of latex particles was equal to 8.41 x 10(-6) mol m(-2). Latex was a ble to bind up to 2.82 X 10(-7) mol of 1-aminopyrene per 1 m(2) of the surface of the latex particles due to the ionic interactions between carboxylate anions and ammonium cations of protonated 1-aminopyrene. A CRYLAT was able to immobilize covalently human serum albumin in amount s up to 0.23 mg m(-2). Aggregation of ACRYLAT with immobilized HSA, in duced with specific antibodies (anti-HSA), was investigated turbidimet rically. The results indicated that in the model turbidimetric immunoa ssay, ACRYLAT coated with HSA can be used for the detection of anti-HS A in the goat anti-HSA serum diluted from 50 to 7000-fold. Immobilizat ion of rabbit antibodies to plasminogen (anti-Plg) to ACRYLAT via the epsilon-aminocaproic acid linkers provided particles which were used f or the development of the turbidimetric immunoassay for plasminogen. I n this assay plasminogen could be detected in concentration ranging fr om 0.75 to 75 mu g ml(-1) in the blood plasma.