Thromb Haemost 1988; 59(01): 101-106
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1646768
Review Article
Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart

Determination of Human Thrombin-Antithrombin III Complex in Plasma with an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay[*]

Hermann Pelzer
The Department for Blood Coagulation, Behringwerke AG, Marburg, West Germany
,
Angela Schwarz
The Department for Blood Coagulation, Behringwerke AG, Marburg, West Germany
,
Norbert Heimburger
The Department for Blood Coagulation, Behringwerke AG, Marburg, West Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received 10 April 1987

Accepted after revision 20 October 1987

Publication Date:
18 April 2018 (online)

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Summary

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the determination of thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT) in human plasma. The test system follows the sandwich principle and uses two different antibodies directed against human thrombin and human antithrombin III, respectively. The antibodies bind selectively to the corresponding antigen moieties of TAT. The assay was calibrated with definite concentrations of preformed purified TAT added to TAT-poor plasma. The lower limit of sensitivity of the assay was 0.5 μg/1. Mean coefficients of variation of 4.2% (intraassay) and 3.5% (interassay) were found for TAT concentrations between 2 and 60 μg/1. A reference range from 0.85 to 3.2 μg/1 was calculated from TAT concentration in plasma samples from 88 healthy donors (mean value ± SD: 1.45 ± 0.4 μg/I). In plasma samples from patients with pulmonary embolism (n = 17), TAT concentrations between 3 and 25 μg/1 were measured. In 15 patients with deep vein thrombosis, TAT was found up to 3 to 25 μg/1. From these data we conclude that measurement of TAT can be a sensitive parameter for specific detection of a latent activation of the clotting pathway.

Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Hans-Gerhard Schwick on the occasion of his 60th birthday.