EFFECT OF SYNTHETIC POLYELECTROLYTES ON ENHANCED CHEMILUMINESCENCE REACTION IN SOLUTION

The coupled peroxidase-catalysed chemiluminescence reaction of luminol and p-iodophenol oxidation of H2O2 (the 'enhanced-chemiluminescence r eaction') was presence of synthetic polyelectrolytes with various chem ical addition of both aliphatic poly-(NN'-dimethyldiallylammonium chlo ride) (PDM) polycation and aromatic poly-(N-ethyl-4-vinylpyridinium br omide) polycation (PEVP) in the reaction mixture led to an increase in the kinetic constants for the elementary enzymic reaction of luminol oxidation. By contrast, whereas the addition of PDM gave rise to an in crease in chemiluminescence light intensity (I-CL), the addition of PE VP caused a decrease in the signal. The results of a study of a model non-enzymic reaction proved that the observed decrease of ICL is due t o the interaction of PEVP pyridinium groups with the intermediate prod ucts of luminol oxidation. The most pronounced decrease of ICL was in the case of the polyelectrolyte complex formed by PEVP polycation and the conjugate of peroxidase with poly(methacrylic acid) (polyanion). T he demonstrated ability of synthetic polyelectrolytes to effect both e nzymic and non-enzymic stages of the reaction could be used in the dev elopment of new immunoassays of biologically active substances.