Sensitivity limitations encountered in enhanced horseradish peroxidase catalysed chemiluminescence

Conditions for the enhanced horseradish peroxidase (HRP) catalysed reaction between luminol and hydrogen peroxide were optimized to determine detection limits for HRP conjugated to antibody fragment (HRP-Fab) in solution phase. Light output was linear with respect to HRP-Fab concentration but became nonlinear at low HRP-Fab concentrations when an accelerator (enhancer) of the reaction was used. para-Phenylphenol was a more effective enhancer than p-iodophenol at HRP-Fab concentrations below 20 pmol/l. The detection limit for HRP-Fab was 1.2 femtomoles in the absence of p-phenylphenol and 0.08 femtomole in the presence of p-phenylphenol. The acceleration of peroxidase activity at the lowest HRP-Fab concentrations occurred after an incubation time period of up to five minutes. This lag time limited the sensitivity and the mechanism for it was sought. Preincubation experiment results indicated that the lag time phenomenon may involve a reversible alteration in HRP catalytic activity and that enhancer, peroxide, luminol and HRP-Fab had to be incubated together some time before maximum activation could occur.