Process for measuring the content of component in vital fluid such as urine and blood

Abstract: A process for determining the concentration of a component, such as glucose, uric acid or polyamine, in a body fluid, such as urine, blood, blood serum, blood plasma, saliva or gastric juice, includes processing the body fluid with a catalase or an immobilized catalase for decomposing hydrogen peroxide included in the body fluid. When the body fluid is processed with the calalase, an inhibitor which inhibits the reaction between the catalase and the component is added to the body fluid after processing with the catalase. The process also includes processing the body fluid with a strongly basic anion exchange resin. When the concentration of polyamine in the body fluid is measured, the body fluid is processed with an acylpolyamineamidohydrolase for converting acetylpolyamine into polyamine in the body fluid. After processing the body fluid by the these operations, hydrogen peroxide produced by the reaction between an oxidase and the component is measured.

Description: The present invention relates to a process for measuring the concentration of a component, which is able to produce hydrogen peroxide in the presence of an oxidase, in a body fluid. Further specifically, the invention relates to a process for measuring the concentration of a component, such as glucose, uric acid or polyamine, which serves as a substrate for an oxidase to produce hydrogen peroxide in the presence of the oxidase, in a body fluid. As is well known, organic components, such as glucose, uric acid, polyamine or the like, exist in body fluids, such as urine, blood, blood serum, blood plasma, lymph, saliva, gastric juice or the like. In the case of healthy or normal organisms, the concentrations of these components are constant. On the other hand, in the case of an abnormal organism, they are changed. For the purpose of medical diagnosis, it is therefore very benifical to be able to accurately determine the concentration of these components in body fluids. In particular, a very small amount of glucose exists in body fluids, such as blood, urine or the like. In the case of healthy or normal organisms, the glucose in the body fluids exists in extremely small quantity. On the other hand, in the case of an abnormal organism, such as for example, a diabetic, the concentration of glucose increases markedly. For the purpose of medical diagnosis, it is therefore very beneficial to be able to determine the concentration of glucose in body fluids. A process for determining the concentration of glucose by using the reducing power of glucose is known. In this process, complicated operations must be performed, and highly precise measurments can not be obtained since the specificity thereof is low. In a recently developed process, the amount of hydrogen peroxide produced in a reaction between glucose and glucose oxidase is used to determine the glucose concentration. In this process, after glucose oxidase is added to a sample of a body fluid, the amount of hydrogen peroxide produced by the reaction between the glucose and glucose oxidase is determined by way of chemiluminescence method, and thereafter the concentration of glucose can be obtained from a previously made calibration curve representing the relationship between the glucose and hydrogen peroxide. However, since normally a small amount of hydrogen peroxide already exists in body fluids, such as urine, it is difficult to accurately determine the concentration of glucose by determining that of hydrogen peroxide when the concentration of glucose in the urine is very small, i.e. less than 10⁻⁴ mol/l. Furthermore, it is known that a small amount of uric acid also exists in body fluids, such as blood, urine or the like, and that the concentration of uric acid in blood decreases in the case of renoprival hypergia, gout, diabetes, carcinomatous neoplasm, eclampsia, incipient peripneumonia, enteropathy, metal intoxication, hypertension and so forth, and that the concentration of uric acid in urine increases in the case of leukosis, grave hepatopathy, gout and so forth. Accordingly, it is very beneficial to determine the concentration of uric acid in body fluids in diagnoses of the aforementioned diseases or the like. In clinical medicine, various methods have been used in order to determine the concentration of uric acid in blood and urine. However, in conventional methods, it is difficult to accurately, simply and promptly determine the concentration of uric acid. In addition, a very small amount of polyamine also exists in urine. In healthy organisms, the polyamine concentration in the urine is extremely small. On the other hand, in the case of a cancer patient, the amount of polyamine increases markedly. It is therefore very beneficial, in diagnosing cancer patients and so forth, to determine the concentration of polyamine in urine. In order to determine the concentration of polyamine in urine, electrophoresis method, thin-layar chromatography, analysis of amino acid, gas chromatography, high-pressure liquid chromatography and so forth have been used. In these methods, there are problems in that complicated operations, and a long time for measurment and preprocessing are required, and many samples can not be measured at once. In a recently developed method, after a deacetylase which can convert an acetylpolyamine in urine into polyamine, the concentration of polyamine in the urine is measured by using a simple absorptiometry. However, this method is not simple, since centrifugation and other complicated operations in which, after polyamine is absorbed into a cation exchange resin, the resin is washed with water and a desorption solution to be neutralized are required, and a long time is also required for coloring. EP-A-0 016 962 discloses a process for removing ascorbic acid from aqueous solutions by the addition of ascorbate oxidase, catalase and hydrogen peroxide. This process can be used also when subsequently a reaction is carried out in which the hydrogen peroxide formed represents a measurement parameter, e.g. in the determination of glucose with glucose isomerase. A similar reaction for removing compounds which react with hydrogen peroxide, e.g. ascorbic acid, is disclosed in EP-A-0 014 898. DE-B-1 498 901 describes a process for determining uric acid in blood by reacting blood serum with a mixture having a pH value of 8.5 to 10 and containing uricase, a catalase inhibitor and a buffer agent and by subsequently determining the hydrogen peroxide produced by this reaction with a mixture having a pH value of 4.5 to 5.5 and containing a colour forming substance, a compound catalysing the oxidation of the colour forming substance by hydrogen peroxide and a buffer agent. DE-A-2 526 558 discloses a process for an enzymatic analysis wherein a fluid containing the substance to be determined is contacted with an enzyme solution, the product of the enzymatic reaction of the substance is measured and the enzyme solution is conducted through a reactor containing e.g. an immobilized catalase to remove the measured reaction product from the enzyme solution which is recycled and used for a new analysis. DE-A-2 845 820 describes a process for the determination of the glucose content of fluids by pretreating the fluid with an anion exchange resin to remove all substances which inhibite the enzyme activity or affect the sensitivity of the detection electrode and subsequently treating the fluid with glucose oxidase to form hydrogen peroxide. It is the object of the present invention to provide a process for simply, quickly and accurately determining the concentration of a component, which produces hydrogen peroxide in the presence of an oxidase in a body fluid. Especially the concentration of components, such as glucose, uric acid and polyamine shall be determined. According to one aspect of the present invention a process for the determination of the concentration of a component which is included in a body fluid, wherein said component selectively reacts with an oxidase to produce hydrogen peroxide, comprises the steps of: providing a body fluid; processing said body fluid with an anion exchange resin to remove metabolites present therein; mixing the body fluid with a catalase for decomposing the hydrogen peroxide initially present in the body fluid; adding an inhibitor which inhibits a catalytic reation of the catalase to the mixture of the catalase and the body fluid; reacting said component in said mixture with said oxidase for producing hydrogen peroxide; measuring the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide produced; and determining the concentration of said component from the measured concentration of said hydrogen peroxide. The anion exchange resin is preferably a strongly basic anion exchange resin. The inhibitor may be selected from the group consisting of sodium azide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, ammonium hydroxide, and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole. The body fluid may be selected from the group consisting of urine, blood, blood serum, blood plasma, saliva, lymph and gastric juice. The component may serve as a substrate for the oxidase to produce hydrogen peroxide in the presence of the oxidase, and it is perferably selected from the group consisting of glucose, uric acid and polyamine. In the case of the component is glucose, the oxidase is glucose oxidase. In the case of the component is uric acid, the oxidase is uricase. In the case of the component is polyamine, the oxidase is putrescene oxidase. When the concentration of polyamine is measured, the process may further include processing the body fluid with a deacetylating enzyme for converting acetylpolyamine included in the body fluid into polyamine. The deacetylase is preferably acylpolyamineamidohydrolase. According to another aspect of the invention, a process for the determination of the concentration of a component, which is included in a body fluid, wherein said component selectively reacts with an oxidase to produce hydrogen peroxide, comprises the steps of: providing a body fluid; processing said body fluid with an anion exchange resin to remove metabolites present therein; passing said body fluid through an immobilized catalase to decompose the hydrogen peroxide initially present in the body fluid; reacting said component in said mixture with said oxidase for producing hydrogen peroxide; measuring the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide produced; and determining the concentration of said component from the measured concentration of said hydrogen peroxide. The anion exchange resin is a strongly basic anion exchange resin. The body fluid may be selected from the group consisting of urine, blood, blood serum, blood plasma, saliva, lymph and gastric juice. The component may serve as a substrate for the oxidase to produce hydrogen peroxide in the presence of the oxidase, and it is preferably selected from the group consisting of glucose, uric acid and polyamine. In cases where the component is glucose, the oxidase is glucose oxidase. In cases where the component is uric acid, the oxidase is uricase. In cases where the component is polyamine, the oxidase is putrescene oxidase. In this case, the process may further include processing the body fluid with a deacetylating enzyme for converting acetylpolyamine included in the body fluid into polyamine. The deacetylase is preferably acylpolyamineamidohydrolase. The present invention will be understood more fully from the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiments of the invention. The drawings are not intended to imply limitation of the invention to these specific embodiments, but are for explanation and understanding only. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a flow chart of operations of Example I according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a graph illustrating the quantity of light produced versus the concentration of glucose in Example I; Figure 3 is a flow chart of operations of Example II according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a graph illustrating the quantity of light produced versus the concentration of glucose in Example II; Figure 5 is a flow chart of operations of Example III according to the present invention; Figure 6 is a graph illustrating the quantity of light produced versus the concentration of glucose in Example III; Figure 7 is a flow chart of operations of Example IV according to the present invention; Figure 8 is a graph illustrating the quantity of light produced versus the concentration of glucose in Example IV; Figure 9 is a flow chart of operations of Example V according to the present invention; Figure 10 is a graph illustrating the quantity of light produced versus the concentration of uric acid in uric acid containing water solution; Figure 11 is a graph illustrating the quantity of light produced versus the concentration of uric acid in Example V; Figure 12 is a flow chart of operations of Example VI according to the present invention; Figure 13 is a graph illustrating the quantity of light produced versus the concentration of uric acid in uric acid containing water solution; Figure 14 is a graph illustrating the quantity of light produced versus the concentration of uric acid in Example VI; Figure 15 is a flow chart of operations of Example VII according to the present invention; Figure 16 is a graph illustrating the quantity of light produced versus the concentration of polyamine in Example VII; Figure 17 is a flow chart of operations of Example VIII according to the present invention; and Figure 18 is a graph illustrating the quantity of light produced versus the concentration of polyamine in Example VIII. In accordance with the present invention, hydrogen peroxide included in the body fluid can be removed by processing the body fluid with the catalase, so that the concentration of hydrogen peroxide produced by the reaction between the oxidase and the component in the body fluid can be accurately measured. The concentration of the component in the body fluid can be easily obtained from a calibration curve illustrating the relationship between the concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and the component. By this process, relatively low concentrations, such as less than 10⁻⁴ mol/liter, of the component in the body fluid can be accurately determined. In accordance with the present invention, the body fluid is processed with an anion exchange resin, such as strongly basic anion exchange resin. By this process, materials formed by metabolism in the body fluid can be removed, so that the concentration of the component can be accurately determined when the concentration thereof is relatively high, such as greater than 10⁻⁴ mol/liter. In accordance with the present invention, the inhibitor may be selected from the group consisting of sodium azide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, ammonium hydroxide, and 1-amino-1,2,4-triazole. By experiment, it was confirmed that, when any one of these materials was used as the inhibitor, similar results could be obtained. According to the process of the invention, the concentration of a component, such as glucose, uric acid, polyamine or the like, in a body fluid, such as urine, blood, blood serum, blood plasma, saliva, lymph or gastric juice may be determined. When the concentration of glucose is to be determined, glucose oxidase is used as the oxidase. When the concentration of uric acid is to be determined, uricase is used as the oxidase. When the concentration of polyamine is to be determined, putrescene oxidase is used as the oxidase. When the concentration of polyamine is to be determined, the body fluid is preferably processed with a deacetylase, such as an acylpolyamineamidohydrolase, for converting acetylpolyamine included in the body fluid into polyamine. In cases where the concentration of hydrogen peroxide produced by the reaction between the oxidase and the component is measured by way of chemiluminescent method, a luminescent reagent, such as luminol, and a catalyst, such as potassium ferricyanide, are added to the body fluid sample processed by the aforementioned operations. Light produced by the reaction the luminescent material and the component in the body fluid in the presence of the catalyst may be measured by a luminometer. When the luminescent material and the catalyst are previously processed by a catalase or an immobilized catalase, the concentration of the component can be more accurately determined. In order to measure the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, various methods, such as laser turvidimetric analysis, polarography, permanganate method, iodic acid reductometry, can be used. By experiment, it was confirmed that, when any one of these methods was used, similar results could be obtained. In the process using an immobilized catalase, it is not required to use an inhibitor. Therefore, the determination of the concentration of the component in the body fluid can be made simpler by prepreparing an immobilized catalase. The effectiveness of the present invention is illustrated by the following examples. EXAMPLE I Assuming that the amount of glucose in the urine of a healthy person is essentially zero, eight urine solutions containing 0, 10⁻⁵, 10⁻⁴, 10⁻³, 10⁻², 10⁻¹, 1 and 10 mol/liter glucose were prepared by adding glucose to urine. Using the respective urine solutions, the following experiment was performed. After the pH of the urine solution was measured, 1 milliliter of a buffer solution containing a 0.1 mol/liter phosphoric acid (pH 5.0 to 8.0) was added to 1 milliliter of the urine solution, so that the pH of the urine solution was adjusted to be 7.0. Thereafter, 0.01 milliliter of a solution containing a 10,000 U/milliliter catalase, which was formed by diluting 42,500 U/milliliter catalase solution (made by SIGMA CHEMICAL Co.,Ltd. from Bovine Liver) with a buffer solution containing a 0.01 mol/liter phosphoric acid (pH 7.0), was added to 1 milliliter of the adjusted urine, and warmed in a 30°C water bath for ten minutes. Thereafter, the urine solution was taken out of the water bath, and 0.01 milliliter of a water solution containing 1 mol/liter sodium azide (NaN₃) (made by Kokusan Chemical Works Ltd.) serving as an inhibitor, for inhibiting the reaction between the catalase and hydrogen peroxide in the urine, was added to the urine solution. Then, 0.2 milliliters of this solution were diluted with 9.8 milliliters of water. By the aforementioned operations, processed urine solutions essentially containing 0, 10⁻⁷, 10⁻⁶, 10⁻⁵, 10⁻⁴, 10⁻³, 10⁻² and 10⁻¹ mol/liter glucose were prepared. Then, 0.01 milliliter of a solution containing a 100 U/milliliter glucose oxidase, which was formed by diluting glucose oxidase (made by TOYOBO Co.,Ltd. from Aspergillus niger) with a buffer solution (pH 5.1) containing a 0.01 mol/liter acetic acid, was added to the respective processed urine solutions, so that hydrogen peroxide was produced by the respective enzyme reactions Thereafter, 0.5 milliliters of an aqueous solution containing a 2 X 10⁻⁷ mol/liter luminol serving as a luminescent reagent, which was formed by diluting luminol (made by TOKYO KASEI KOGYO Co., Ltd.) with a buffer solution containing 0.2 mol/liter sodium carbonate and sodium hydrogencarbonate, and 0.5 milliliters of an aqueous solution containing a 6 X 10⁻³ mol/liter potassium ferricyanide (made by MERCK Co.,Ltd., pro analysi) were added to the respective solutions. The quantity of light produced by the reaction between the luminol and the hydrogen peroxide in the presence of the potassium ferricyanide was measured by a luminometer (UPD-8000 made by Meidensha Corporation). For reference, eight water solutions containing 0 and 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻¹ mol/liter glucose, and eight urine solutions containing 0, 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻¹ mol/liter glucose, which were not processed by the catalase, were prepared. With respect to these solutions, the quantity of light produced by each of the respective reactions was measured in a similar manner to Example I. Figure 1 is a flow chart of the aforementioned operation, and Figure 2 shows the relationship between the concentration of glucose and the quantity of light produced by each of the respective reactions. As shown in Figure 2, in the case of urine solutions which were not processed by the catalase, the proportion of the hydrogen peroxide included in the initial urine to the hydrogen peroxide produced by the reaction between the glucose and the glucose oxidase is relatively high when the concentration of the glucose is relatively low, such as less than 10⁻⁴ mol/liter. As a result, the measured quantity of emitted light is much greater than that of light produced by the reaction with the hydrogen peroxide produced by the enzyme reaction. That is, the background light greatly affected the measured value when the concentration of glucose was less than 10⁻⁴ mol/liter, so that it was difficult to accurately measure the concentration of glucose when it was so low. On the other hand, in the case of Example I, the background light hardly affected the measured value when the concentration of glucose was about 10⁻⁷ mol/liter. Therefore, it was found that low concentrations of glucose, up to about 10⁻⁷ mol/liter, can be accurately measured in accordance with the method of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, when the concentration of glucose is greater than 10⁻⁴ mol/liter, the quantity of light of Example I is less than that of the water solution. The difference therebetween can be corrected by Example II which will be described below. EXAMPLE II Urine solutions containing 0, 2 X 10⁻⁶, 2 X 10⁻⁵, 2 X 10⁻⁴, 2 X 10⁻³, 2 X 10⁻², 2 X 10⁻¹ and 2 mol/liter glucose were prepared by adding glucose to urine of a healthy person. Using the respective urine solutions, the following experiment was performed. 2 milliliters of strongly basic anion exchange resin (OH⁻-type), formed by converting Cl⁻-type anion exchange resin (AGl-X4 made by BIO-RAD Laboratories, with grain size of 100 to 200 mesh) into OH⁻-type by 1 N sodium hydroxide, were added to 2 milliliters of the urine solution, and was stirred. Then, the supernatant solution was collected, and 1 milliliter of a buffer solution (pH 6.0) containing a 0.1 mol/liter phosphoric acid was added to the supernatant solution so that the pH thereof was adjusted to be 7.0. Then, 0.01 milliliter of the 10,000 U/milliliter catalase solution prepared in Example I was added to the supernatant solution, and allowed to warm in a water bath at 30°C for ten minutes. After taking it out of the water bath, 0.01 milliliter of a water solution containing 1 mol/liter sodium azide serving as the inhibitor was added to the reaction solution. Then, 0.2 milliliters of this solution were diluted with 0.8 milliliters of water. By the aforementioned operations, processed urine solutions essentially containing 0, 10⁻⁷, 10⁻⁶, 10⁻⁵, 10⁻⁴, 10⁻³, 10⁻² and 10⁻¹ mol/liter glucose were produced. Then, 0.01 milliliter of the 100 U/milliliter glucose oxidase prepared in Example I was added to the respective processed solutions, so as to cause hydrogen peroxide to be produced by the enzyme reaction. Thereafter, 0.5 milliliters of the 2 X 10⁻⁷ mol/liter luminol solution and 0.5 milliliters of the 6 X 10⁻³ mol/liter potassium ferricyanide solution, which were prepared in Example I, were added to the respective solutions. The quantity of light produced by each of the reactions between the luminol and the hydrogen peroxide in the presence of the potassium ferricyanide was measured by the luminometer. For reference, eitht water solutions containing 0 and 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻¹ mol/liter glucose, and eight urine solutions containing 0 and 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻¹ mol/liter glucose, which were not processed by the catalase and the anion exchange resin, were prepared, and the quantity of light produced by each of the respective reactions was measured in a similar manner to Example II. Figure 3 shows a flow chart of the aforementioned operation, and Figure 4 shows the relationship between the concentration of glucose and the quantity of light produced by each of the respective reactions. As shown in Figure 4, the difference between the quantity of light of Example II and that of the water solution was very small when the concentration of glucose was greater than 10⁻⁴ mol/liter, indicating that the concentration of glucose can be accurately measured in accordance with the present invention. EXAMPLE III A polyfunctional reagent was caused to react with water insoluble carrier, and thereafter a catalase was attached thereto so as to immobilize the catalase. An aminopropyl-CPG (controlled pore glass) (made by ELECTRO-NUCLEONICS INC.; with 120 to 200 mesh of pore diameter) and a glutaraldehyde were used as the water insoluble carrier and the polyfunctional reagent, respectively. Specifically, 1 gram of the aminopropyl-CPG was immersed in 25 milliliters of a buffer solution containing 2.5 % glutaraldehyde and 0.01 % phosphoric acid for two hours at room temperature to form an aldehyde CPG. Thereafter, the aldehyde CPG was caused to react with 2 milliliters of a buffer solution containing 100,000 U/milliliter catalase and 0.01 % phosphoric acid for three hours at room temperature to produce an immobilized catalase. This reaction can be expressed by the following formulae. Then, urine solutions containing 0, 2 X 10⁻⁶, 2 X 10⁻⁵, 2 X 10⁻⁴, 2 X 10⁻³, 2 X 10⁻², 2 X 10⁻¹ and 2 mol/liter glucose were prepared by adding glucose to urine. Using the respective urine solutions, the following experiment was performed. After the pH of the urine solution was measured, 1 milliliter of a buffer solution containing a 0.1 mol/liter phosphoric acid (pH 5.0 to 8.0) was added to 1 milliliter of the urine solution, so that the pH of the urine solution was adjusted to be 7.0. Then, 2 milliliters of the adjusted urine were caused to pass through a column in which the aforementioned immobilized catalase was packed. The initial 0.5 milliliters of the filtrate were discarded and next filtrate was collected. Then, 0.2 milliliters of this filtrate were diluted with 9.8 milliliters of water. By the aforementioned operation, processed urine solutions essentially containing 0, 10⁻⁷ 10⁻⁶, 10⁻⁵, 10⁻⁴, 10⁻³, 10⁻² and 10⁻¹ mol/liter glucose were prepared. Then, 0.01 milliliter of the 100 U/milliliter glucose oxidase solution prepared in Example I was added to the respective processed urine solutions so as to cause hydrogen peroxide to be produced. Thereafter, 0.5 milliliters of the 2 X 10⁻⁷ mol/liter luminol solution and 0.5 milliliters of the 6 X 10⁻³ mol/liter potassium ferricyanide solution, which were prepared in Example I, were added to the respective solutions. The quantity of light produced by each of the reactions between the luminol and the hydrogen peroxide in the presence of the potassium ferricyanide was measured by the luminometer. In order to compare with Example III, water solutions containing 0 and 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻¹ mol/liter glucose, and urine solutions containing 0 and 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻¹ mol/liter glucose, which were not processed by the immobilized catalase. With respect to these solutions, the quantity of light produced by each of the respective reactions was measured in a similar manner to Example III. These operations and their results are shown in Figures 5 and 6. As seen from Figure 6, in the case of Example III, similar results to Example I were obtained. With this process, it is not required to use an inhibitor to inhibit the reaction between the catalase and the hydrogen peroxide, which makes the operation simpler than that of Example I if the column in which the immobilized catalase is packed is previously prepared. Similar to Example I, in Example III, when the concentration of glucose is greater than 10⁻⁴ mol/liter, the quantity of light emitted is less than that of the water solution. In Example IV which will be described below, the difference therebetween can be corrected. EXAMPLE IV Urine solutions containing 0, 2 X 10⁻⁶, 2 X 10⁻⁵, 2 X 10⁻⁴, 2 X 10⁻³, 2 X 10⁻², 2 X 10⁻¹ and 2 mol/liter glucose were prepared by adding glucose to normal urine. Using the respective urine solutions, the following experiment was performed. 2 milliliters of strongly basic anion exchange resin similar to that of Example II were added to 2 milliliters of urine solution, and was stirred. Then, the supernatant solution was collected, and 1 milliliter of a buffer solution (pH 6.0) containing a 0.1 mol/liter phosphoric acid was added to the supernatant solution so that the pH thereof was adjusted to be 7.0. Then, 2 milliliters of the adjusted urine solution were caused to pass through the column in which the immobilized catalase prepared in Example III was packed. The initial 0.5 milliliters of the filtrate were discarded whereafter the filtrate was collected. Then, 0.2 milliliters of this filtrate were diluted with 9.8 milliliters of water. By the aforementioned operations, processed urine solutions essentially containing 0, 10⁻⁷ 10⁻⁶, 10⁻⁵, 10⁻⁴, 10⁻³, 10⁻² and 10⁻¹ mol/liter glucose were prepared. Then, 0.01 milliliter of the 100 U/milliliter glucose oxidase solution prepared in Example I was added to the respective processed urine solutions so as to cause hydrogen peroxide to be produced. Thereafter, 0.5 milliliters of the 2 X 10⁻⁷ mol/liter luminol solution and 0.5 milliliters of the 6 X 10⁻³ mol/liter potassium ferricyanide solution, which were prepared in Example I, were added to the respective solutions. The quantity of light produced by the reaction between the luminol and the hydrogen peroxide in the presence of the potassium ferricyanide in each of the solutions was measured by luminometer. In order to compare with Example IV, water solutions containing 0 and 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻¹ mol/liter glucose, and urine solutions containing 0 and 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻¹ mol/liter glucose, which were not processed by the immobilized catalase and the anion exchange resin, were prepared. The quantity of light produced by the reaction in each of the solutions was measured in a similar manner to Example VI. These operations and results are shown in Figures 7 and 8. As seen from Figure 8, in the case of Example IV, similar results to Example II were obtained. In accordance with this process, the concentration of glucose can be accurately measured without using the inhibitor used in Example II. EXAMPLE V Assuming that the amount of uric acid in the urine of a healthy person is essentially zero, an initial urine solution containing 5.9 milligram/deciliter uric acid was prepared by adding uric acid to urine. Using this initial solution, four urine solutions were prepared in which the initial solution was undiluted, diluted with urine by a quarter, a half and three quarters. Then, an equal volume of a buffer solution containing a 0.1 mol/liter of phosphoric acid was added to each of urine solutions, and the pH of each of the solutions was adjusted to be 7.0. Then, 0.01 milliliter of a 10,000 catalase solution as prepared in Example 1 was added to each of 1 milliliter of these solutions by means of a pipette, and the reaction therebetween was allowed to occur at 30°C for ten minutes, so that hydrogen peroxide in the solution was decomposed. Thereafter, in order to inhibit the reaction between the catalase and the hydrogen peroxide, 0.01 milliliter of water solution containing 1 mol/liter sodium azide serving as an inhibitor was added to each of the aforementioned solutions by means of a pipette. To one part by volume of the respective solutions were then added 99 parts by volume of distilled water, and thereafter 0.01 milliliter of uricase solution, which was prepared by dissolving uricase (made by Boeringer Mannheim Co., Ltd.; with 50% glycerin; Sp. activity of 4.5 U/milligram (25°C)) with a 0.13 mol/liter sodium carbonate (pH 10.2), was added to 1 milliliter of each of the diluted solutions by pipette, and allowed to react at 30°C for ten minutes, and thereby producing hydrogen peroxide. This reaction can be expressed by the following formula. After the reaction, 0.5 milliliters of the 2 X 10⁻⁷ mol/liter luminol solution and 0.5 milliliters of the 6 X 10⁻³ mol/liter potassium ferricyanide solution, which were prepared in Example I, were added to the respective solutions. The quantity of light produced by the reaction between the luminol and the hydrogen peroxide in the presence of the potassium ferricyanide in the respective solutions was measured by luminometer. For reference, water solutions containing 5, 10 and 14 milligram/deciliter uric acid were prepared. The quantity of light produced by each of the respective reactions was measured in a similar manner to Example V. Figure 9 is a flow chart of the aforementioned operation, Figure 10 is a calibration curve representing the relationship between the concentrations of the uric acid in the water solutions and the quantity of light produced by the enzyme reaction, and Figure 11 shows the relationship between the concentration of the uric acid in the urine solution and the quantity of light produced by the enzyme reaction. As seen from Figure 11, in the case of Example V, the quantity of light is proportional to the concentraion of the uric acid. This result corresponds with that of the water solution shown in Figure 10. Therefore, it can be shown that the low concentrations of uric acid can be accurately measured using the process of the present invention. EXAMPLE VI An initial urine solution containing 5.9 milligram/deciliter uric acid was prepared by adding uric acid to urine. Using this initial solution, four urine solutions were prepared in which the initial solution was undiluted, diluted with urine by a quarter, a half and three quarters. Then, an equal volume of a buffer solution containing a 0.1 mol/liter of phosphoric acid was added to each of urine solutions, and the pH of each of the solutions was adjusted to be 7.0. Then, 2 milliliters of each of these solutions were cause to pass through the column in which the immobilized catalase prepared in Example III was packed. To one part by volume of each of the filtrates were then added 99 parts by volume of distilled water. Thereafter, 0.01 milliliter of uricase solution prepared in Example V was added to 1 milliliter of the respective filtrates by means of pipette, and the reaction therebetween was allowed to occur for ten minute at 30°C so that hydrogen peroxide was produced. After the reaction, 0.5 milliliters of the 2 X 10⁻⁷ mol/liter luminol solution and 0.5 milliliters of the 6 X 10⁻³ mol/liter potassium ferricyanide solution, which were prepared in Example I, were added to the respective solutions. The quantity of light produced by the reaction between the luminol and the hydrogen peroxide in the presence of the potassium ferricyanide in the respective solutions was measured by luminometer. For reference, water solutions containing 5, 10 and 14 milligram/deciliter uric acid were prepared. The quantity of light produced by each of the respective reactions in these solutions was measured in a similar manner to Example VI. Figure 12 is a flow chart of the aforementioned operation, Figure 13 is a calibration curve representing the relationship between the concentration of the uric acid in the water solution and the quantity of light produced by the enzyme reaction, and Figure 13 shows the relationship between the concentration of the uric acid in the urine solution and the quantity of light by the enzyme reaction. As seen from Figures 12 and 13, in the case of Example VI, similar results to Example V were obtained. In accordance with this process, it is not required to use an inhibitor to inhibit the reaction between the catalase and hydrogen peroxide, so that the operation may be simpler than that of Example V if the column in which the immobilized catalase is packed is previously prepared. EXAMPLE VII Urine solutions containing 0, 2 X 10⁻⁷, 2 X 10⁻⁶, 2 X 10⁻⁵, 2 X 10⁻⁴, 2 X 10⁻³, and 2 X 10⁻² mol/liter polyamine were prepared by adding polyamine to urine of a healthy person. Using the respective urine solutions, the following experiment was performed. 2 milliliters of strongly basic anion exchange resin similar to that of Example II were added to 2 milliliters of the urine solution, and stirred. Then, the supernatant solution was collected, and 1 milliliter of a buffer solution (pH 8.0) containing 0.4 mol/liter tris(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane and hydrochloric acid, which will be hereafter referred to as "TRIS-hydrochloric acid solution", and 1 milliliter of a deacetylase solution, which consists of deacetylase (acylpolyamineamidohydrolase made by Tokuyama Soda Co., Ltd.) dissolved in a buffer solution (pH 7.2) containing 0.1 mol/liter phosphoric acid, were added to the supernatant solution. The solution was stirred and allowed to stand in a 37°C water bath for one hour. After taking it out of the water bath, 1 milliliter of a buffer solution (pH 5.9) containing a 0.5 mol/liter of phosphoric acid was added to 3 milliliters of the solution, and the pH thereof was adjusted to be 7.0. Then, 0.01 milliliter of a 10,000 U/mililiter catalase prepared in Example I was added to the adjusted solution, and was allowed to warms in a 30°C water bath for ten minutes. After taking it out of the water bath, 0.01 milliliter of a water solution containing 1 mol/liter sodium azide similar to that of Example I, serving as the inhibitor, was added to the aforementioned solution so as to inhibit the reaction between the catalase and the hydrogen peroxide. Then, 0.4 milliliters of this solution were diluted with 0.6 mililiters water. By the aforementioned operations, processed urine solutions essentially containing 0, 10⁻⁸ 10⁻⁷, 10⁻⁶, 10⁻⁵, 10⁻⁴ and 10⁻³ mol/liter polyamine were prepared. Then, 0.02 milliliters of a 10 U/milliliter putrescene oxidase solution, which was prepared by dissolving putrescene oxidase (made by Tokuyama Soda Co., Ltd) in a buffer solution containing 0.1 mol/liter tris(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane and hydrochloric acid, were added to the respective processed urine solutions, so as to cause hydrogen peroxide to be produced. Thereafter, 0.5 milliliters of the 2 X 10⁻⁷ mol/liter luminol solution and 0.5 milliliters of the 6 X 10⁻³ mol/liter potassium ferricyanide solution, which were prepared in Example I, were added to the respective solution. The quantity of light produced by each of the reactions between the luminol and the hydrogen peroxide in the presence of the potassium ferricyanide was measured by the luminometer. For reference, water solutions containing 0 and 10⁻⁸ to 10⁻³ mol/liter polyamine, and urine solutions containing 0 and 10⁻⁸ to 10⁻³ mol/liter polyamine, which were not processed by the catalase, the deacetylase and the strongly basic anion exchange resin, were prepared. The quantity of light produced by reaction in each of the respective reactions was measured in a similar manner to Example VII. These operations and their results are shown in Figures 15 and 16. As shown in Figure 16, in the case of urine solutions which were not processed by the catalase, the deacetylase and the strongly basic anion exchange resin, the proportion of the hydrogen peroxide included in the initial urine to the hydrogen peroxide produced by the reaction between the polyamine and the putrescene oxidase is relatively high when the concentration of polyamine is relatively low, such as 10⁻⁵ mol/liter. As a result, over all the quantity of emitted light is much greater than that of light emitted due to the hydrogen peroxide produced by the enzyme reaction. That is, the background light greatly affects the measured value when the concentration of polyamine is less than 10⁻⁵ mol/liter. On the other hand, in the case of Example VII, the background light hardly affected the measured value when the concentration of polyamine was about 10⁻⁸ mol/liter. Therefore, it was found that, according to the present invention, the concentration of polyamine can be accurately measured even when it is low, such as about 10⁻⁸ mol/liter. EXAMPLE VIII Urine solutions containing 0, 2.5 X 10⁻⁷, 2.5 X 10⁻⁶, 2.5 X 10⁻⁵, 2.5 X 10⁻⁴, 2.5 X 10⁻³ and 2.5 X 10⁻² mol/liter polyamine were prepared by adding polyamine to urine of a healthy person. Using the respective urine solutions, the following experiment was performed. 1 milliliter of a 0.4 mol/liter of the TRIS-hydrochloric acid solution and 1 milliliter of the deacetylase solution, which were prepared in Example VII, were added to 1 mililiter of the urine solution, and were stirred. The mixture was then allowed to stand in a 37°C water bath for one hour. After taking it out of the water bath, 2 milliliters of the strongly basic anion exchange resin similar to that of Example II were added to 3 milliliters of the deacetylated urine, and stirred. Then, the supernatant was collected, and 1 milliliter of a buffer solution (pH 5.9) containing a 0.5 mol/liter phosphoric acid was added to 1 milliliter of the supernatant, so that the pH thereof was adjusted to be 7.0. This solution was caused to pass through a column in which the immobilized catalase prepared in Example III was packed, the initial 0.5 milliliters of filtrate were discarded and thereafter the filtrate was collected. Then, 0.4 milliliters of this filtrate were diluted with 0.6 mililiters water. By the aforementioned operations, processed urine solutions essentially containing 0, 10⁻⁸ 10⁻⁷, 10⁻⁶, 10⁻⁵, 10⁻⁴ and 10⁻³ mol/liter polyamine were prepared. Then, 0.02 milliliters of the 10 U/milliliter putrescene oxidase solution prepared in Example VII were added to the respective processed solutions, so as to cause hydrogen peroxide to be produced. Thereafter, 0.5 milliliters of the 2 X 10⁻⁷ mol/liter luminol solution and 0.5 milliliters of the 6 X 10⁻³ mol/liter potassium ferricyanide solution, which were prepared in Example I, were added to the aforementioned solution. The quantity of light produced by the reaction between the luminol and the hydrogen peroxide in the presence of the potassium ferricyanide was measured by luminometer. For reference, water solutions containing 0 and 10⁻⁸ to 10⁻³ mol/liter polyamine, and urine solutions containing 0 and 10⁻⁸ to 10⁻³ mol/liter polyamine, which were not processed by the catalase, the deacetylase and the strongly basic anion exchange resin, were prepared. The quantity of light produced by the reaction in each of the respective solutions was measured in a similar manner to Example VIII. These operations and results are shown in Figures 17 and 18. As shown in Figure 18, in the case of Example VIII, similar results to Example VII were obtained. In accordance with this process, it is not required to use an inhibitor to inhibit the reaction between the catalase and the hydrogen peroxide, so that the operation may be simpler than that of Example VII if the column in which the immobilized catalase is packed is previously prepared.

Claims: A process for the determination of the concentration of a component which is included in a body fluid, wherein said component selectively reacts with an oxidase to produce hydrogen peroxide, comprising the steps of: providing a body fluid; processing said body fluid with an anion exchange resin to remove metabolites present therein; mixing the body fluid with a catalase for decomposing the hydrogen peroxide initially present in the body fluid; adding an inhibitor which inhibits a catalytic reaction of the catalase to the mixture of the catalase and the body fluid; reacting said component in said mixture with said oxidase for producing hydrogen peroxide; measuring the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide produced; and determining the concentration of said component from the measured concentration of said hydrogen peroxide. A process for the determination of the concentration of a component which is included in a body fluid, wherein said component selectively reacts with an oxidase to produce hydrogen peroxide, comprising the steps of: providing a body fluid; processing said body fluid with an anion exchange resin to remove metabolites present therein; passing said body fluid through an immobilized catalase to decompose the hydrogen peroxide initially present in the body fluid; reacting said component in said mixture with said oxidase for producing hydrogen peroxide; measuring the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide produced; and determining the concentration of said component from the measured concentration of said hydrogen peroxide. A process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said anion exchange resin is a strongly basic anion exchange resin. A process according to claim 1, wherein said inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of sodium azide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, ammonium hydroxide, and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole. A process according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said body fluid is selected from the group consisting of urine, blood, blood serum, blood plasma, saliva, lymph and gastric juice. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said component is selected from the group consisting of glucose and polyamine. A process according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4 and 5, wherein said component is uric acid. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said component is glucose, and said oxidase is glucose oxidase. A process according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4 and 5, wherein said component is uric acid, and said oxidase is uricase. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said component is polyamine, and said oxidase is putrescene oxidase. A process according to claim 10, which further includes processing said body fluid with a deacetylase for converting acetylpolyamine included in said body fluid into polyamine. A process according to claim 11, wherein said deacetylase is acylpolyamineamidohydrolase.

Inventors: FUJIE SHINICHI, MATSUYUKI AKIRA, OSHIMA NOBUO, FUJIE, SHINICHI, MATSUYUKI, AKIRA, OSHIMA, NOBUO
Applicants: MEIDENSHA ELECTRIC MFG CO LTD, MEIDENSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1988
Main classification: C12Q1
IPC codes: C12Q1