Description
Introduction: Aspartate transaminase (AST) also called serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) or aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT/AAT) is similar to alanine transaminase (ALT) in that it is another enzyme associated with liver parenchymal cells. It facilitates the conversion of aspartate and alpha-ketoglutarate to oxaloacetate and glutamate, and vice-versa. AST is normally found in red blood cells, liver, heart, muscle tissue, pancreas, and kidneys. Low levels of AST are normally found in the blood. When body tissue or an organ such as the heart or liver is diseased or damaged, additional AST is released into the bloodstream. The amount of AST in the blood is directly related to the extent of the tissue damage. After severe damage, AST levels rise in 6 to 10 hours and remain high for about 4 days.
Principle of the Assay: The microtiter plate provided in this kit has been pre-coated with an antibody specific to AST. Standards or samples are then added to the appropriate microtiter plate wells with a biotin-conjugated antibody preparation specific for AST and Avidin conjugated to Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) is added to each microplate well and incubated. Then a TMB (3,3',5,5' tetramethyl-benzidine) substrate solution is added to each well. Only those wells that contain AST, biotin-conjugated antibody and enzyme-conjugated Avidin will exhibit a change in color. The enzyme-substrate reaction is terminated by the addition of a sulphuric acid solution and the color change is measured spectrophotometrically at a wavelength of 450 nm +/- 2 nm. The concentration of AST in the samples is then determined by comparing the O.D. of the samples to the standard curve