A FLUORESCENCE METHOD FOR ESTIMATION OF TOXEMIA - BINDING-CAPACITY OFLIPOPROTEINS AND ALBUMIN IN PLASMA

The hazard of toxemia, a condition resulting from the spread of toxins by the bloodstream, is regulated by plasma proteins capable of bindin g viith free toxins. As toxin binding results in a reduction of availa ble binding sites, measuring the proteins' binding capacity can be use d to estimate toxemia severity. Suggested by this approach, a novel fl uorescence method was developed to determine lipoprotein and albumin b inding capacities in whole plasma. The method entails two steps: speci fic binding of N(n-carboxy)phenylimide-4-dimethyl-aminoaphthalic acid with albumin followed by addition of 12-(9-anthroyloxy)stearic acid wh ich, under these conditions, binds mostly with lipoprotein. Reduced fl uorescence intensity of the probes in plasma of patients compared to t hat of healthy donors reflected saturation of binding sites by toxins, thereby estimating toxemia severity. Poor correlation was found betwe en the lipoprotein and albumin binding abilities, suggesting their ind ependent-diagnostic values. The simplicity and rapidity of this method are advantageous for its clinical application. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scie nce B.V.