Description
This assay is based on the method of competitive ELISA. As a first preparation step,a biotinylated zonulin tracer is added to the samples, standards and controls. Afterwards, aliquots of the treated samples, standards and controls are transferred and incubated in microtiter plate wells coated with polyclonal anti-zonulin antibodies. During the incubation, the free target antigen in the samples competes with the biotinylated zonulin tracer for the binding of the polyclonal anti-zonulin antibodies immobilised on the microtiter plate wells. The unbound components are removed by a washing step. During a second incubation step, peroxidase-labelled streptavidin, which binds to the biotinylated zonulin tracer, is added into each microtiter well. After a washing step to remove the unbound components, the peroxidase substrate tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) is added. Finally, the enzymatic reaction is terminated by an acidic stop solution. The colour changes from blue to yellow and the absorbance is measured in the photometer at 450 nm. The intensity of the yellow colour is inverse proportional to the zonulin concentration in the sample; this means, high zonulin concentration in the sample reduces the concentration of the biotinylated zonulin tracer bound to the immobilised anti-zonulin antibodies and lowers the photometric signal. A dose response curve of absorbance unit (optical density, OD at 450 nm) vs. concentration is generated, using the values obtained from the standard. Zonulin, present in the patient samples, is determined directly from this curve