J. Smisterova et al., METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF QUANTITATIVE RECEPTOR ASSAYS, Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis, 12(6), 1994, pp. 723-745
Receptor assays occupy a particular position in the methods used in bi
oanalysis, as they do not exploit the physico-chemical properties of t
he analyte. These assays make use of the property of the analyte to bi
nd to the specific binding site (receptor) and to competitively replac
e a labelled ligand from the same binding site. The amount of labelled
ligand replaced is a measure of the amount as well as the affinity of
the analyte. Thus, receptor assays offer additional information about
the biological (pharmacological) activity of the analyte by distingui
shing the compounds on the basis of their specific binding rather than
specific molecular structure (chromatographic and non-chromatographic
methods). This paper, starting with the general principles of recepto
r-ligand interaction, focuses on the application of ligand-binding tec
hniques to the quantitative analysis. The factors which influence the
sensitivity and the specificity of quantitative receptor assays, as we
ll as the main directions in the improvement of the receptor preparati
on by using the solubilized and purified receptor are discussed. In or
der to enhance the use of these assays in routine practice, the develo
pment of solid-phase receptor assays is considered.