Automated enzyme immunoassay to measure prostaglandin E2 in gingival crevicular fluid

An automated enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to measure prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of humans and dogs was developed as an indicator of periodontal disease. GCF is noninvasively collected on Periopaper strips and the PGE2 is extracted by a simple method. Samples containing 10-500 pg/ml PGE2 can be measured. A commercially available kit is used to perform the competitive EIA in microtiter plates. In the EIA, rabbit anti-PGE2 antisera binds to either the PGE2 in the sample or to the acetylcholinesterase-linked PGE2. The assay is automated using the Biomek 1000 workstation, resulting in day-to-day variability of less than 5% CV. Dog models of chronic and ligature-induced periodontitis were used to demonstrate that increased GCF PGE2, as measured by our assay, correlates with increased pocket depth and gingival bleeding scores.