Description
Principle of the Assay: This assay employs a two-site sandwich ELISA to quantitative FFA in Rat serum, plasma, tissue homogenates. An antibody specific for FFA has been pre-coated onto a microplate. Standards and samples are pipetted into the wells and any FFA present is bound by the immobilized antibody. After removing any unbound substances, a biotin - conjugated antibody specific for FFA is added to the wells. After washing, Streptavidin conjugated Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) is added to the wells. Following a wash to remove any unbound avidin-enzyme reagent, a substrate solution is added to the wells and color develops in proportion to the amount of FFA bound in the initial step. The color development is stopped and the intensity of the color is measured.
Background: In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long aliphatic tail (chain), which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have a chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually derived from triglycerides orphospholipids. When they are not attached to other molecules, they are known as "free" fatty acids. Fatty acids are important sources of fuel because, when metabolized, they yield large quantities of ATP. Many cell types can use either glucose or fatty acids for this purpose. In particular, heart and skeletal muscle prefer fatty acids. Despite long-standing assertions to the contrary, fatty acids can be used as a source of fuel for brain cells, at least in some rodents, in addition to glucose and ketone bodies