ATTEMPTS TO IMPROVE THE SENSITIVITY OF AN ENZYME-LINKED-IMMUNOSORBENT-ASSAY FOR 2-METHYLISOBORNEOL

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) was described previously with a sensitivity of 1-mu-g/ml (Chung et al., 1990). In an attempt to increase the sensitivity, the following approaches were used: (1) new high-titer antibodies raised against a camphorethylenediamine-BSA conjugate; (2) use of a camphor-alkaline phosphatase conjugate as the detecting system; and (3) modification of the ELISA conditions by different blocking agents, microtiter plates, and plate shaking. Despite these approaches, the sensitivity of the ELISA remained at 1-mu-g/ml, indicating that the sensitivity most probably related to the antibody affinity for MIB and not to the assay conditions and antibody titer.