Chemiluminescence immunoassay in microemulsions

A novel chemiluminescence immunoassay which combines microparticles and microemulsion is described. The method is based on a specific interaction of an antibody with an antigen preadsorbed onto fluorescer (perylene) microparticles (mean diameter 0.8-1.6μm). Dissolving the particles in a microemulsion-forming mixture containing bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate in toluene (oil phase) and H₂O₂ in Triton X-100 (surfactant)/2-butanol (cosurfactant)/water leads to chemiluminescence. The dependence of the chemiluminescence intensity on the concentrations of antigen, antibody and fluorescer, as well as the kinetics of the chemiluminescence decay, were studied. Copyright (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.