An enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay for rat ceruloplasmin

A noncompetitive, colorimetric enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA)+ was developed for measuring rat ceruloplasmin in serum and in medium from culture hepatocytes. The assay utilized polystyrene immobilized antibody which bound ceruloplasmin which then bound biotinylated antibody. The biotinylated antibody-antigen complex was detected with strepavidin-alkaline phosphatase conjugate. Standard curves for rat ceruloplasmin were constructed in the range between 10 and 50 ng/mL. Increases of 10 ng produced an increase in A403 of more than 0.2. With this immunoassay, serum ceruloplasmin levels were found to average 35 mg Cp/dL in control rats and 87 mg/dL in rats with experimental inflammation. Liver parenchymal cells secreted 1.6 micrograms Cp/5 x 10(5) cells/24 h. This ELISA assay for ceruloplasmin will facilitate studies on the regulation of ceruloplasmin synthesis and secretion in both intact rats and isolated hepatocytes.