A HIGHLY SENSITIVE ENZYME-LINKED-IMMUNOSORBENT-ASSAY (ELISA) FOR ANTITUMOR POLYACETYLENIC ALCOHOL, PANAXYTRIOL

A new type of antitumor polyacetylenic alcohol, panaxytriol, was isola ted from the roots of Panax ginseng C. A. MEYER. A highly sensitive en zyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the determination of panax ytriol was developed, which is capable of measuring as low as 25.6 pg/ ml. Anti-panaxytriol antibody was obtained by immunizing rabbits with panaxytriol conjugated with bovine serum albumin using the N-succinimi dyl ester method. An enzyme marker was similarly prepared by coupling panaxytriol with horseradish peroxidase. The specificity of this ELISA seems to be primarily toward both the glycol moiety and the diacetyle ne moiety of the panaxytriol, showing a slight cross-reaction with the other panaxytriol analogues which are structurally different only in C-9,10 positions, but no cross-reaction with the 1,2-decanediol or 3-n onyn-1-ol. The values for panaxytriol concentration detected by this a ssay were comparable with those detected by the gas chromatography met hod. The ELISA was about 5000 times more sensitive in detecting panaxy triol. Using this assay, panaxytriol levels were easily determined in the blood of rats. The ELISA may be a valuable tool for studies of the biological and pharmacological properties of the polyacetylenic alcoh ol, panaxytriol.