Thermo Kit Tricyclic Serum Tox

Specifications

• Description: DRI Tricyclics
• Detectable Analytes: Tricyclics in serum - screening test
• Quantity: 25, 8
• Storage Requirements: 2° to 8°C

Intended Use

The DRI® Tricyclics Serum Tox Assay is intended for the qualitative and semiquantitative determination of tricyclic antidepressants in human serum, plasma or urine.

Summary and Explanation of the Test

Amitriptyline, imipramine, and related compounds are tricyclic antidepressants that are widely used for the treatment of depression. Metabolites of amitriptyline and imipramine (nortriptyline and desimipramine, respectively) also possess antidepressant activity, but are less effective than the parent compounds. The most frequent side effects associated with the use of tricyclic antidepressants include dry mouth, constipation, dizziness, palpitations and urinary retention. Acute toxicity due to tricyclic antidepressants may lead to coma, cardiac arrhythmia, respiratory depression and death. Tricyclics have become the most common drug overdose case admitted to intensive care units. Detecting the presence of the drugs and determining its concentration in serum or urine from patients suspected of drug overdose can assist the physician in diagnosing and treating the patient.

The DRI Tricyclics Serum Tox Assay is a homogeneous enzyme immunoassay using readyto-use liquid reagents. Specific tricyclic antibodies were used to detect most tricyclic antidepressants in serum, plasma, or urine. The test is based on the competition of an enzyme, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), labeled-drug and the drug from the sample for a fixed amount of specific antibody binding sites. In the absence of the drug from the sample, the specific antibody binds the enzyme-labeled drug and the enzyme activity is inhibited. This phenomenon creates a direct relationship between drug concentration in the sample and the enzyme activity. The enzyme activity is determined spectrophotometrically at 340 nm by measuring its ability to convert nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) to NADH.