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What type of patients/subjects can the kit be used for?
The BioCell Protein Carbonyl kit has been designed to detect elevations in disease or pathological conditions. The Christchurch School of Medicine Free Radical Research Group (FRRG) recently conducted a study that included 85 healthy volunteers of an older age group (71 +/- SD 9 years) with a mean plasma PC of 0.026 nmol/mg (95% CI 0 - 0.09).
Note that PCs are marginally higher in older patients, and plasma values may be slightly higher than in serum.
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What types of samples can be analysed with this kit?
The assay can be applied to biological fluids and to other soluble protein samples from any species e.g plasma, serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, tissue and cell extracts, as well as cultured human cell samples.
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Does the concentration in the samples matter?
The kit has been designed for use within the normal protein concentration range of blood (ie. 35 g/L to 80 g/L). If your expected readings are outside this range, it is necessary to dilute your samples, standards and quality controls to the same protein concentration. There is a low protein procedure for samples with a concentration below 35 mg/mL.
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Can I use heparinized or EDTA plasma?
Yes, both types of plasma can be used and has been tested on human, mice and rat serums.
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What is the purpose of the quality control sample?
This is supplied as an indicator for the kit. It indicates that the kit is performing correctly.
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We received a kit that had not been kept refrigerated for transport. How will this affect the efficacy of the reagents?
PC Kits do not require to be kept under cool conditions for short term transportation. The kits are stable at room temperature for up to 6 weeks. The temperatures are a guide for long term storage and as long as the kit has been separated into the freezer and fridge on arrival as per the instructions, the kit is stable until the expiry.
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The freezer box of components was accidentally left at room temperature for one week. Does this make them unusable?
As long as the freezer box was returned to the freezer the standards will be fine to use. The standards are stable for several weeks out of the freezer.
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Why is my standard curve not linear?
The standard curve may not be linear if the substrate has been left for too long before the stop solution is added. It is a good idea to save the standard curve when reading at 650 nm.
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What is the best way to extract my sample in preparation for the ELISA?
Physical disruption methods are the best extraction procedures to use. Detergents prevent proteins from adhering to the ELISA plate and some protease inhibitors are highly carbonylated and will interfere with your analysis. Cells that are grown in serum need to be thoroughly washed before extraction to remove contaminating proteins.
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What protease inhibitors can I use?
Protease inhibitors can include proteins. We would suggest you test the assay with the specific protease inhibitor you use prior to assaying your samples.
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Is the PCKIT available form a local supplier or agent?
You have the option of buying directly from BioCell Corporation, delivering in 3-5 days, or the kit is available from the following agents:
Northwest Life Science Specialities (USA)
nwlifescience.com
Enzo Life Sciences AG (Europe)
enzolifesciences.com
Deltaclon S.L. (Europe)
deltaclon.com
Japan Institute for the Control of Aging (Japan)
jaica.com
Progen Inc. (Korea)
progeninc.co.kr
